I Want Monochrome
by AYangThang
Summary: Weiss Schnee is a third year Beacon student. She's also an heiress to a multibillion lien organization. It's time to prove herself worthy. Her father has just the task. Overwhelmed and outraged at the treatment of Faunus labor, she can't stand it any longer. It's time to make drastic changes. Little does she know, she'll spark a revolution. (Disregard Volume 4)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** This series starts dark at the top of this chapter, but for those of you who are also following "I Want a Cub" you already know the future for the Faunus rights movement is much brighter. This a telling of how that future came to be, so please do not take this chapter's darkness as indicative for the whole story. I promise you that it isn't, but it did need to be written.

 **I Want Monochrome**

As an heiress poised to take over her father's company, Weiss Schnee had many expectations that she had to live up to. She was now a legal adult. She'd been hesitant at first to oversee any further responsibilities afforded to her. Beacon kept her busy enough, but her father was starting to grow exhausted of those excuses. It was time that she started learning what it meant to have true responsibility in the company.

Now, some might have assumed that this meant sending his daughter a load of paperwork. Others might have suggested giving her some menial position of authority. Wilson Schnee, however, was an uncanny man. Instead, he decided to test his daughter to the brink.

He knew she could do it. All she needed was a push in the right direction.

His confidence in her abilities overshadowed what some of his collogues coined good business sense. Wilson had recently purchased a plot of land from a wealthy tycoon who wanted nothing more to do with the property. It was a floundering mining shaft. The laborers wore rags, and the children were nearly starving. They were a large sized group of Faunus, housed in a single domicile that had seen better days.

Illness ran rampant, the young laborers were uneducated. Worst of all, the very young children were being indoctrinated into this hell-hole of a Faunus labor. It was this property that he gave to Weiss, telling her to do with it as she pleased. Wilson's faith in Weiss led him to believe she would turn the mineshaft profitable once more.

Weiss, however, was very much not feeling up to the task. Upon her return to Beacon, her mind was staggering. Here she had the power to change the lives of these people, and yet, she had no idea how to go about doing that. She was among the privileged. An extremely well-educated girl, having grown up in the lap of luxury. Yet, she was also cynical and unsure.

There was only one thing she knew. "I need help…"

There would be only one person who might even begin to understand the atrocities that Weiss had just bore witness to. One person who could even begin to pick the pieces of this complicated mess into manageable, reasonable chunks. There were so many things that needed to get done, and no possible way for Weiss to do them all. She spilled her guts in the quiet of the dorm room to the only true Faunus friend she had.

"I don't know what to do." Weiss recounted.

"Take a breath, Weiss." Blake instructed.

Weiss recounted her horrors, mentioning one young boy sleeping in a pile of straw. Where else was he to sleep? He didn't have a bed. She recalled the meals, and how god awful they looked. Some of that food had to have been rotting…but it was all they had. Shipments to that mine shaft came around once a month. Her list of problems ran on, and on.

"The lien allotment that I'm being given is finite. Even if I were to toss in everything I have in my own savings…" Weiss bit her lip. "I have several hundred-thousand lien, but with the repairs they need, we're talking figures well into the low millions."

"Take it one step at a time..."

"I can't..." She wished it was that simple. That she could disregard things that easy. "They're living in their own filth, Blake…they don't even have a properly built latrine."

She was pacing back and forth. Grasping for instantaneous answers that neither one of them had. "What's more dangerous? Illness from the soiled food and bugs flying around? Or is it the fecal matter?" Blue eyes wide, as if the horrors were still in front of her, Weiss shook her head again. "Do I start with the food shipments, so that they get safer deliveries more regularly? Or do I bulldoze the housing and rebuild from the ground up? It's so bad right now, they're not shitting in a snow ditch that melts sixteen times a year." Her lower lip quivered. "The run off….dear god…the runoff. It's probably filled with cholera…and...and who knows what else!"

Blake was livid, and not just because of the atrocities that were spewing out of Weiss, but because of the utterly shell-shocked expression that still graced her features. When was the last time she'd had a shower? Blake knew it hadn't been that day. The smell of god-only-knew-what caked Weiss from top to bottom, disgusting, and more than enough proof that Weiss was not in good condition.

It was easy to believe everything Weiss said, to think it was every bit as terrible. The Schnee Dust Company was not a group that put their labor forces first. Blake had seen those kinds of labor before, but had Weiss? No. The heiress didn't know. She hadn't had a clue before that trip.

Just the sight of those 'questionable business practices' had single handedly done insurmountable damage to Weiss. It had easily done more than the White Fang could ever hope to achieve…and in some way, that pissed Blake off even more. Hot air tore through Blake's mouth, as she sighed out a great deal of rage.

"The first thing you're going to do Weiss, you're going to take a long shower. Then you'll eat a hot meal, and then get some rest." Blake's voice was dangerously low, cutting off any retort before it could start. "I'm going to help you figure this out, but right now, if conditions really were that bad, you're a contagion waiting to spread. If you get sick, you help no one."

"Shower…right…" Weiss said numbly. Shaking her head as Blake's words sunk into her. "I should have thought of that…"

Blake watched her walk into the adjoining bathroom and close the door. It was only after the lock clicked shut that Blake collapsed back down on her bed. She was going to have a lot of work to do. First thing was first, Weiss had laundry that needed doing, and after her shower, there would be a bathroom in need of bleaching…but before all of that, there was someone she needed to call.

Her fingers tapped across the scroll as she dialed the number by heart. It rang three times before her partner picked up. "Hellloooooo."

"Yang, we have a situation…" Blake forced out between clenched teeth. She was trying to keep her words calm and controlled. In truth, her desire was to yell, scream, and blaspheme the head of the Schnee family to hell and back again. "Weiss needs you here… _I_ need you here…and I know it's unfair to ask this when you-"

"Blakey…you're crying…whatever it is, we'll be there." Yang's unwaveringly soft tone hushed her. "Me and Ruby are going to come back just as soon as we grab our things, okay?"

Now that Yang mentioned it, she could feel the hot tears streaming down her face. A sob nearly choked her as ragged breath fell from her lips. "Yeah…" Her voice sounded so strangled, it surprised even her.

"I promise you, we'll be back just as soon as we can." Yang promised, one-hundred percent slipping into momma Yang mode. "Can you do something for me? Try to stay calm until we get there? You're making me want to dive through the screen, Blakey, but teleportation hasn't been invented yet."

"I just…Yang..."

"Yeah, Blakey?"

"This is bad." Blake murmured, rubbing at her eyes. She had to pull herself together before Weiss saw her, or there would be a major meltdown in the room before the sisters even got back. "Really, really bad…"

It was a stroke of mercy that the call ended when it did. Blake doubted she could keep her own composure for very long. She knelt under her bed. A bunch of notebooks were crammed into a box. They were her own musings, a great many of them detailing her experiences. The White Fang had contingences for refugees. She wrote about many things. Her dreams for the future, and her thoughts on the SDC. She needed that perspective now, and she pieced together the puzzles from her past.

A time when her young mind was so eager to do anything…everything…she could do. A time when even she forced a change in this world. Maybe, there was something worth salvaging from that extremist view.

Weiss came back clean, but an empty husk of the person that Blake knew her to be. Weiss was mechanical in her movements, mutely acting by memorization only. It was absolutely not healthy in the slightest. The girl even dressed in the room, eyes wide, haunted. Blake averted her gaze when she realized, Weiss wasn't thinking at all. The heiress was just going through motions, and Blake couldn't bear to take that sight anymore.

"Weiss," Blake reminded her. "Go get something to eat."

"No."

"Weiss, go."

"I can't."

"You can."

"I…" It was like her brain just stopped, and Weiss stopped talking along with it, looking at the floor.

At some figment of something that Blake couldn't see. "Don't argue. I'm going to the laundry room, and then I'm going to scrub down the bathroom." Blake told her. "You are going to the cafeteria, and you're going to get some warm soup." Blake left to do purely what had to be done.

* * *

Weiss went to the cafeteria, but she just couldn't bring herself to eat. How could she? Sitting here in Beacon, with food she had complained about over, and over, and over again. Taken it for granted for the past three years.

The people she was now in charge of, what did they have? She just couldn't do it, she just couldn't eat, knowing they were starving. She did the only thing she could do. She went back to her dorm room, huddled under the covers and cried. Cried for all of the answers she wanted to have, but simply didn't. Cried for the guilt that was kicking her insides around worse than any Grimm ever could.

And that was how Blake found her after scrubbing out the bathroom with bleach. Soft sobs breaking the otherwise claustrophobic silence.

"Weiss?" Blake asked, wondering…fearing for her teammate. They didn't always get along, but the girl was hardly her enemy in any of this.

"I'm sorry…" It was the only echo in her mind. The only words she could think of. The only words that weren't self-destructive. "I'm sorry…I didn't know…I d-didn't e-e-even…"

Blake was hugging her in an instant. "You didn't know." She repeated, as she curled the both of them into the farthest most corner of the bed, cocooned in the blankets. "You just didn't know." Inwardly, she was breathing a sigh of relief. The shock was over, Weiss could shatter to bits properly and then Ruby and Yang could help pick up the pieces when they got here. "It's okay. You know now. You can fix this." Blake would just have to hold out until then…until she could shatter to bits too. "We can fix this."

Blake had no idea how long they lay like that, with Weiss shivering in her arms like a rag-doll. Weiss sometimes dozed, but she woke up in tears again, burying herself in Blake's shoulder. More guilt, more anger than Weiss knew what to do with. All of it shredding into her again and again.

The Faunus was at a loss. Weiss needed to understand, this was _not_ her fault. This was the god-awful power Atlas as a government, the political view at large. This was the bigoted moral compass of the wealthy, the fearmongering of the poor…it was idiocy and it was barbaric…but it was _not_ her fault…

They would fix this, somehow. They'd fix that whole bastardized company, and they could start with that sorry excuse for a mining community.

For right now, though, and the sentiment more repeating… "This isn't your fault, Weiss…"

"But I left them there…"

"To get help." Blake told her. "We're going to fix this…but first, we need to fix you. I need you to pull yourself together…you're really starting to worry me."

The dorm room door couldn't have flown off of its hinges faster as Yang and Ruby barreled into it. "We…forgot…our scrolls…" Yang panted, looking around the room.

"What's wrong?" Ruby was already on the bed, tugging down the covers. "Weiss, Blake?"

"It's been a long day, Ruby…" Blake tried to move, but Weiss clung even tighter.

"No! Don't..." Weiss was clutching onto Blake's shirt, shivering anew. "Don't..."

Yang and Ruby didn't need to be told twice, even though they were baffled beyond belief, they were scared now too. Weiss wasn't a crier. She didn't just break down without a good reason, and Ruby, had never seen a crisis quite like this. Blake was on the knife's edge of emotion, and that was three for three. Yang was not about to let the team fall apart as she wrapped her arms around both Weiss and her baby sister…trapping Blake in a three person, sideways, dogpile.

It was how they stayed, and Weiss, oddly smooshed in the middle, made no complaint. That was the most worrying detail of all.

* * *

Sometime throughout the night, though Blake hadn't exactly been sure when, team JNPR had joined the continuing growing cuddle puddle. The entire bed from head to foot was a tangled mass of limbs and friends. Blake knew it was Nora that had started it, she was the only person brazen enough to impede on a private moment. As for how the other three ended up there? It was anyone's guess. Team RWBY never bothered to ask, JNPR didn't tell. When daylight came around, they all went to breakfast quietly. No one, not even Nora asked the question on everyone's mind.

What in the _hell_ happened?

They needed a new door, and the sisters needed to contact their father and get their scrolls. Yang was sure they'd left them in their bedroom. Along with half of their clothes, and most of Ruby's homework. Actually everything...they'd left everything and made a run for the station.

Making a formal report to Ozpin was the only way to get out of this situation.

"Why wouldn't the two of you simply knock?" Goodwitch was -rightfully- flabbergasted when the sisters glossed over the team emergency as if it were nothing.

"Well, when our teammates are upset about things…you know how it is…" Yang shrugged awkwardly.

"We should probably tell him." Blake said quietly.

"Blake, _no_."

"You guys haven't even told us, yet." Ruby told Blake, her mouth thinning into a tight line upon seeing Weiss cower.

"Is there a problem, Ms. Schnee?" Glynda asked, but it was free of her usual biting tone. This held concern.

Weiss shrunk under the question, and Blake had to fight hard, very hard in fact, not to let loose a very Faunus sounding snarl. Control and calculation would win the day. Maybe it would get them the help they needed. "The Schnee Dust Company…how much do you know?"

The two faculty members turned to look at each other. That was not the topic they expected. Glynda immediately went to the office door, locking it, as Ozpin eyed the girls with concern. "We know enough." He said softly enough not to startle the girls further. "Enough, at any rate, to understand the clandestine nature of such a question…"


	2. Chapter 2

Weiss told her story the second time, but it wasn't any easier. Most certainly not in front of Glynda Goodwitch and the headmaster. Weiss plowed through the details automatically. Trying to distance herself from any and all emotion she felt, least she crumple up into a ball on the floor. What was even worse, was that Ruby was hearing the words for the first time. So was Yang.

Finally, there was no more left to say. The now smashed door had been explained in a manner that was justifiable, and the room became quiet.

"So, this mineshaft of yours, it is under your express jurisdiction now." Ozpin asked. "Is that correct?"

"Yes…" Weiss nodded. "I own one hundred percent of the shares for that plot of land." And, one hundred percent of the burden. The workers and their families were solely dependent on her.

"So, speaking purely hypothetically, you hold all the card." He rolled the idea around a bit, his voice calm, his words paced. "So, therefore, if I, or any of the Beacon faculty for that matter, would desire to step in and oversee this endeavor..."

"Hypothetically speaking..." Weiss nodded, urging him to continue. Almost begging him to do so.

"The Beacon faculty would only have to run the matter by you, correct?" He cleared his throat as Weiss nodded. "And would you like us to do so?"

"I don't have anything to pay you with…" Weiss said weakly. "I don't even think I have enough money to fix everything that's in shambles. I don't even know what my father expects me to do…"

"I didn't ask you that." Ozpin replied gently. "I merely asked if you would like my help."

Weiss Schnee had no more pride left to swallow. It had been shattered and trampled on. Left in the dingy, rundown hovel to rot with the rest of the sins she had no more excuses for. She couldn't even take pride in her family name, she was so disgusted by it. For once, she began to understand just how sick all of it was. Why the White Fang even had cause to exist in the first place.

Weiss bowed her head, shamed by the company, and by her own blind resolve to fix what she thought to be mild oversights...there was nothing mild about the twisted depravity going on. "They _need_ it…and I can't do this alone. I'm begging you to help me, because if not, they won't survive the winter."

"It's settled then." Ozpin replied as he stood from his desk. "Ms. Goodwitch, if you would, please post a new extra circular mission on the board for third and fourth year students of Beacon. There are Grimm to extract, renovations to be made, medical attention to be seen too, and a mineshaft in inspect. In payment for those who attend this travesty of menial labor, we will expunge their student record of any failing grades across all semesters. We will raise them to the lowest passible grade as a result. This mission is volunteer only, willing participants need only apply."

"Right away, sir." Glynda replied, pulling out her scroll to do as she had been instructed. The mission assignment was sent out to the rest of Beacon faculty as well, informing them of Ozpin's newest way to torment the grading scale. There would be an uproar in the faculty room over this.

Ozpin came around the desk, extending his hand to Weiss. A small yet pleasant smile ghosted across his face. He was about to do business with a girl, who, despite all of her intellect, had no idea how to lead a large group of people. His was, however, a headmaster. His job was to teach, hers was to learn. He offered only the kindest of words. "I promise you, Weiss, Beacon will not betray you. We'll get that mineshaft in proper working order. You'll see."

"Alright…" Weiss took a breath, the first real one that actually filled her lungs properly. "Yes…you're right." She shook his hand, a little more at ease. "Thank you…"

"I'd suggest that you girls see to the preparations of your departure. I will be doing the same. Yang, you and Ruby will return home to Patch to gather your things. Then you will reconvene here with the rest of the student volunteers." He then glanced to Blake. "It would be best, I believe, if you were to come with Weiss and I this evening. Seeing a fellow Faunus at our side might help to lay to rest any malicious intent. We want to build strong bonds of trust early, something I fear may be difficult…"

* * *

With some manner of a plan set into motion, he saw Weiss visibly relax, and he finally did the same inwardly. He watched the girls scurry off, but there was so much to do, and so little time to do it. Rounding his desk, he made a call to his old, eccentric, friend.

"Ozpin, a pleasant surprise to get a call from you!" Wilson Schnee blustered from his desk, an edge of a smile on his mustache clad lip. "Or at least…I hope it's a pleasant surprise. You look quite befuddled."

"That, I'm still trying to decide if you've lost your marbles or not." Ozpin murmured, as he took off his dark glasses. "I'm not sure if I should congratulate you for being just as pompous as your father before you. Or, if I should commend your backhanded tactics at teaching Weiss the tricks of your trade. I feel I should remind you, regardless, this is not the sort of deplorable test that you pass onto the next generation."

"Ah, so you've heard of my business venture, have you?" Wilson asked, quite pleased with himself.

"An exercise in ignorance, more like." Ozpin grumbled. "Why give her the very same sort of test that your father gave to you?"

"Tradition, no more no less than that." Wilson replied. "She's a smart girl, she'll turn around a tidy profit in no time…"

"You are lucky…very lucky…that I understand the good intentions behind this act." Ozpin leveled his gaze at Wilson. There were reasons Wilson had underfunded that newly purchased dust mine. He wanted Weiss to build proper alliances, seek out funds and business partners on her own. Solving the solutions to every problem as she encountered them. He strove to empower her on her own merit…and while Ozpin understood this, he still felt poorly for the girl. "She ran to her team, and then to me…"

"Weiss always had a knack for being quick on her feet." Wilson replied. "She knew precisely who to consult in this matter…Beacon's headmaster, a wise choice indeed."

"She came to me out of panic." Ozpin shot at him icily. "Weiss knows next to nothing about actually running a dust mine, and you've thrown her into the deep end. There are people reliant on her expertise, of which she has none. She knows she's in over her head, and it frightens her. This whole idea of yours nearly crushed her spirit, it _did not_ empower her."

"The Faunus aren't people, Ozpin, I've told you this plenty of times."

"A point upon which we will always disagree." He shot back, rubbing at his tired eyes. "She owns a far more progressive view that you do, Wilson. She thinks of Faunus the same way I do. As people. People who worthy of the same rights and freedoms as everyone else. She sees them living in squalor, and it terrifies her. Those people now look to her for their every single need, and Weiss is not prepared to handle that."

"Then those Faunus should consider themselves lucky." Wilson replied dryly. "I'm sure her coddling will reflect in her management of that mineshaft. They may take solace in that for all that I care, so long as Weiss learns her place in all of this."

Ozpin rolled his eyes. "Sending her to that mineshaft upset her, and to great length…you may want to rethink your treatment of these of situations. Consider that her soul is gentle. That a little tender handling would go a lot further in conditioning your heir to the company."

Wilson frowned. He had no intention of truly upsetting his daughter. "She was that distraught by the conditions? You aren't merely complaining yourself?"

"Would you let your human employees live in such filth?" Ozpin asked.

"Why, of course not! What kind of person do you take me for?!"

"A man brainwashed by the past, is all." Ozpin replied, lifting his glasses and putting them to his face. "Either way, it will be an honor to do business with your daughter. One thing you and I both agree on, is that we expect great things from her. I have no doubt she will pass this test of yours with flying colors...however, Wilson, you should speak with her properly...let her know you never meant any harm."

Wilson nodded. "Of course I will..."

"And keep in mind what we talked about..." Ozpin pressed. "She's on a team with a Faunus now. Blake's a very good friend to her. I know you don't like them, but if you have any care for Weiss at all, treading lightly will be for the best."

* * *

Weiss and Blake flew out to Atlas that very same day with Ozpin. Glynda stayed back and corralled the students willing to go on this mission. Yang and Ruby had to go back home for their things, but they carried a letter with them to give to their father. Beacon's headmaster fully intended to get this community in a better state of repair, and they had two months before school started to do it.

Unfortunately, the conditions were as bad as Weiss said, if not worse.

"How many families live here?" Ozpin asked, as he inspected the kitchen.

"Sixty." Weiss murmured.

"Total occupancy?"

"Over three hundred."

"In one boarding house?" It was worse than he feared, but he nodded, not showing a smidgen of discomfort. "We will have to evacuate. Our first order of business is to get these people into proper shelter. They'll have to be moved away from the demolition area. Everything here will have to go."

"I was thinking that." Weiss pulled on her lower lip with her teeth. "Do you think...I mean..." She sighed. It was just so very hard. "Sir, they live here. There's nothing up here besides the mine...and...and this..." She shook her head. "I know it would be expensive, but isn't it more effective, not to mention safer, to have the housing spread out just a little?"

Ozpin nodded. "An option we shall discuss later." He side stepped a small rat Grimm scurrying from a hole in the foundation. He eyed it with a frown as Weiss speared it with her sword. Where there was one Grimm, many were sure to follow. "Health and safety is a problem, but the infestation of Grimm should be our primary concern at this exact moment."

Weiss nodded, absorbing his words like a sponge. "Yes, you're right."

"Do you know why?" He asked.

"Grimm attract themselves to unfortunate places." Weiss replied. "They delight in the helplessness of others, and congregate in mass around places such as this."

"That is the simple answer, yes." Ozpin nodded. "Fitting for a huntress, but not someone responsible for the lives of a great many. Creatures of Grimm not only pose a threat to the workers here, but rather, they raise a question of future migration."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.

"Consider Mountain Glenn, if you would. It also incurred one too many infestations along the boarders, and eventually they migrated into the territory." Ozpin said slowly, and with great worry in his tone. "Letting the dangerous Grimm live anywhere near here only brings them closer to Atlas proper. Those are risks we cannot take. These outlying towns need to maintain strong morale for the good of everyone. Mines such as this, do a disservice to the citizen they seek to serve commerce to."

He could see the heiress swallow hard and freeze, looking up at him. Ozpin merely placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Do not fret over this, do you understand? You have only one duty right now, and that is to learn swiftly. You need to become proficient with haste, so that you know precisely what to do, and how to do it."

* * *

Blake listened in from her place in the corner. She'd found a spot that was manageable, and began dressing the wounds of those who had been injured. Faunus ears flicked, partially amused as a rather young cat Faunus batted at her long black tresses of hair. Tiny little purrs issuing from the little girl in delight. Blake Belladonna was many things, but not a nurse.

She had first aid training, but she wondered if it was enough. There was no time to wait, as she cleaned cuts, removed splinters, and set fractures to the best of her ability. As the child played happily, she was busy tying a cloth bandage around the little girl's scraped knee, humbled by the experience.

"You are being kind to us." The girl's mother murmured, a deep frown on her face. "Helping us…"

Golden eyes followed the woman's gaze. Weiss was slowly turning the corner, but Blake understood the implication clear as day. "She asked me to, so here I am."

"I don't understand why…"

Instead of trying to explain, Blake asked a simple question. "How long have you lived here?"

"I was born here." The Faunus woman said.

"Then, this is the only life you've ever known…I'm sorry…" Some part of that shoved an inexplicably empty hole in Blake's heart. It reminded her of the White Fang, and of the mentality that almost all Faunus in these sorts of places had. That it was their only option. That they would never be free from oppression. "She's going to change things around here. Weiss isn't like the other land owners up here…she's not going to let you keep living like this."

"How does a person such as yourself become friendly with a Schnee?"

"The same way anybody does…" Blake shrugged. "Just get used to the fact that even when she's in a bad mood, she's still not her dad."

The woman was about to say something else, but stopped herself as she heard commotion from the next room over.

"Blake, there's a man here with a broken ankle." Weiss called as she helped an elderly gentleman with a tail. He hobbled across the expanse, Weiss supporting most of his weight. She gestured for him to sit on a nearby crate. "I've got to get back to Ozpin, can you set this?"

Blake looked around at her supplies. "Sure thing, I'll take it from here."

"Thanks." Weiss hurried back to her post…wherever that was, as Blake found herself being gawked at by every adult in the room.

"What?" Blake asked.

"She _thanked_ you..." A woman with a forked tongue gawked. "And she carried him in here..."

"Didn't drag him in by his tail, either." A teenage boy with hound-like ears added. "Actually did it the right way."

"Yeah, well, as I've said before. Weiss isn't like her father. You'll have to get used to being around humans, there are a whole bunch of them coming up to help rebuild this place." Blake said, as she moved on to the swollen looking ankle, and the poor gentleman it was attached to. "Weiss is probably going to make a lot of mistakes, this is the first mineshaft she's ever run, but trust me. She just wants to help."

* * *

Camp was set up a few kilometers southbound from what Ozpin called the renovation site. They'd issued every family a tent and thermal blankets. When they left Vale, they'd brought enough food supplies and clean water to make sure a proper meal could be doled out. By nightfall, several roaring bonfires had the workers huddled around them.

Weiss herself was shivering from the chill in the northern air, wrapping her scarf more securely around her neck. She took sight of a young boy, crouching behind on the large plastic card tables. He eyed the fruit that sat in a small paper bowl. She had been munching on berries and grapes idly and held it out for him. "Do you want one?" Weiss asked, watching as his brown eyes went wide.

He hid from view. There wasn't much escaping he could do from the corner though, so she lifted the basket of grapes and set them down on the ground between them. He filched again as she plucked one of the little green spheres and put it in her mouth.

"See?" She said only partially annoyed. "They're perfectly fine. Try one."

Eyeing her curiously, he picked one for himself before deciding he liked them. Then he was after them the like Ruby went after cookies. Taking in his scuffled appearance she untied her scarf and slid it around his shoulders. He cocked his head to the side, and then shrunk into himself again, protecting his neck. The small whine he made was out of fear, and it broke her heart.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Weiss told him, her eyes wetting themselves. He leaned back, trying to prove it, trying to get him to understand.

Hunger won out, and he began to go after the bowl of fruit once more.

Deciding to give it another try, Weiss kept her voice gentle. "Where are your parents?"

He looked around, blueberry perched to his lips, pointing to a tall bear Faunus who was sitting cross-legged by the fire.

"Let's go then." She said, frowning at the forlorn look he gave the bowl. "You can take that with you too." He beamed. picking up the simple little bowl of food as if he'd won the lottery, and that made Weiss swallow hard. What had he seen? In spite of the morbid curiosity, she really didn't want an answer to that question. Instead, she went over to the warm fire. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Hmm?" The grizzled man had the body of a work horse, broadly built, his voice deep and low.

"There are meals being served on the other end of the camp. Warm soups, bread bowls, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. If you haven't gotten any yet, you really should." The small child looked up to her, as if curious, but ran to his father's side when the man gestured for him to do so. "If you don't mind sweatshirts and track pants that say Beacon across the front, they're passing out those too."

"Yer a Schnee. Saw you walkin' 'round here before." He said low and slow, his deep accept hailing from the southernmost tip of Atlas. How a man such as himself made it northward to a desolate place like this, Weiss would never know. "Dun'no what ya think yer doin'. I dun' want no part in it."

"Dad, she's just tryin' to help." A younger man said.

"No Schnee wants that, boy." The older Faunus growled.

The scars of this family, and probably all of the families here ran deep. Weiss doubted she'd make any progress in just one day, but if she didn't start someplace, she doubted she would get anywhere at all. She marched across the camp, gathering three warm bowls of soup, bread, and bottles of water, putting them on a tray. She tucked three sweaters under her arm, and made her way back to that fire. She was sure she looked absolutely ridiculous.

Setting down the tray none too gently in front of the man, she sighed, thrusting a warm bowl of soup under his nose. "If it's my bloodline you hate so much, then fine. I can accept that. I will not accept you starving or freezing to death. Either way, I'm your boss now. Eat it, or I'll spoon feed you." She looked over to the younger man, and the little boy. "You two as well, there's more than enough to go around."

To the man's credit, he did eventually take bowl. "Yer a strange one, aint'cha."

"I'm a huntress, I'll do anything I have to do to uphold that creed." She told him, all while helping the youngest of their group to pull that Beacon sweatshirt over his head. They didn't have any child sizes, so even a women's small dwarfed him. It was dry, and warm, and that's what counted. Weiss didn't miss the father eyeing her wearily. Hand on her hip, she gave him a look. "Whoever you think I am, you're wrong. I'd suggest you get that through that thick skull of yours quickly."


	3. Chapter 3

It would take a few days for the rest of the students to get up to the snowy north. Building materials, food supplies, the list of needed items grew longer and longer. No end in sight. Weiss and Ozpin sent in the orders for what needed to be brought in. In the meantime, the mine was losing money by the day, and the allotment of cash ran dry.

"That's the last of it." Weiss sighed, showing a now empty bank account. "Six hundred thousand lien, and that was only ordering supplies. Anything else will have to come from my own personal savings."

"Do not despair. Instead, I'd like you to focus your attention on these." Ozpin replied as he rolled out a page of schematics.

"Are those…?"

"The plans for the new domiciles." Ozpin replied.

Weiss nodded, excited, but now even more nervous. "Alright."

"As you've said, our resources are finite at this time." The older man began. "We only have two months to get this place into basic working order. These plans focus on the primary needs that cannot be overlooked. We will build three of them, providing enough housing for everyone."

"Living conditions will still be very closely confined." Weiss murmured.

"I agree." Ozpin frowned. "We cannot afford a fourth, neither in money, or in time. Three will have to suffice for now, it's not ideal, but, ideals aren't bought with our current funding."

It was still better than anyone might hope for, looking at the current living conditions. Weiss nodded. "We'll expand more later."

"Indeed. The confined spaces continue onward in the bathrooms and living areas. They will have to be communal, such as the type of facilities you'd find at Beacon, but not nearly as luxurious. I can promise cleanliness, and efficiency, but not much else. The three kitchens are not as state of the art as I would like them to be either. They'll be functional enough to get by. Working stoves, adequate storage space, and a proper freezing unit."

Weiss ran her fingers across the drawing. They were well done, immaculately so. There were a few rooms she couldn't decipher though. "What are those?"

"A centralized dust-water treatment tank." Ozpin told her. "It's not as convenient as pulling pipelines from Atlas. They will have to melt their own snow in the tank, or draw from the water pools inside of the mines. It's a constant task that they'll have to consider, as the tanks only hold four hundred gallons, or the minimal 4 gallons per person at any given time…this is assuming that the tank is always kept full to capacity."

"At least we can be sure it will be treated correctly before consumption." Weiss told him. She was no contractor, so she put her blind faith in him, as she had been doing more and more as of late. He had yet to steer her wrong. "Can I ask, what does the heating unit look like?" Weiss asked. "These winters up here are deadly."

Ozpin nodded. "Each domicile will be fitted with a red dust heating unit. The electricity runs on a mix of solar power, lunar power, and red dust. This does mean that they'll have to acquire their own dust to power it, but the energy provided is fairly clean. There is one downfall though. It will inevitably will cut into the profit margin. Red dust is one even the civilians use."

"The only other alternatives are wood or gasoline." Their current dorm was running on the latter, and Weiss could smell it. The fumes in the air were horrible, and the black smog issuing from the exhaust was going to be a cause for black lung. "Our forested areas are few and far between as it is…and you've seen that gas powered monstrosity…"

"Quite." Ozpin agreed.

Weiss nodded, but then, a waft from the nearby window made her cringe. "If we can't afford to pipe up from Atlas, what are we going to do about the…raw sewage? Cesspits don't work in Atlas, not with the extreme temperatures."

"We will bury a sceptic tank underground. It's the same thing our forefathers used to do before major cities started cropping up." He pulled out a little packet of mixed dry powder. "This is a caustic substance. If you flush it down into the tank several times a year, it manages the problem nicely. I won't get into the raw science behind it, but, it's proven a useful tactic long before even Atlas stood as a kingdom of power."

She bit her lower lip. "You're sure it will work?"

"Assuredly." He supped from his coffee, grimacing at the fact it had gone cold. Gingerly, he set it off to the side. "If the topic worries you that much, I'll send one of Beacon's personal plumbers to keep an eye on the routine maintenance at first, just to be sure."

Weiss let out a long, slow breath. "My father is going to kill me."

"It's not uncommon for new ventures to run in the red for a few years." Ozpin assured her. "Your father knows this. There are other ways to show improvement, and wise investments early mean a far greater income later."

Ozpin was right, she knew. It didn't calm her down any. She rubbed her eyes. "This is all wonderful…it really is." Weiss said quietly.

Was it the lap of luxury? Not by far…but she could keep these workers safe, and warm. Everyone would have a bed and a good meal. It would satisfy all of the basics. The building blocks she desperately needed. There was only one problem.

The heiress worried her bottom lip. "Everything here is designed so well. It will allow for being as self-sufficient as possible. My only worry is, someone is going to have to draw that water, and mine that dust. This housing is going to require a lot of maintenance."

"That's true too." It was, perhaps, the one largest downfalls of housing such as this. It was cheap to build, and affordable to maintain, but efficiency in the mines would drop significantly. "Which brings me to my next point, the green house." He pointed to the small structure. "It's not big enough to feed three hundred people regularly, it's probably not even suitable for fifty…but the goal here is to make use of natural garbage. In this case, compost."

"But why…" Weiss asked. "Why build that if it won't be able to account for everyone?"

"This is what I like to call an investment for the future." Ozpin sat down, relaxing as he push his glasses further up his nose. "A morale booster, and a functional safety net. They can grow their own herbs and spices. Wheat for ale, grapes for wines. Luxury items we simply can't afford to provide. If they want to, they can even grow and preserve vegetables. In a survivalist situation, those small preparatory steps mitigates possible food shortages." He then turned to Weiss, smiling kindly. "The goal here is to give them the power and control over what they want to grow."

"I'm just worried I won't be able to afford it…"

"That, my dear girl, isn't something you have to worry about."

Blue eyes lifted to his. "I don't understand…I don't have any more money left for that kind of purchase. How can I not worry about it?"

"It's a donation, courtesy of Signal Academy." Ozpin told her. "The building, the soil, the tools, and starting plant life. Anything they'll need. When it comes time for planting, Beacon's own professor Peach will provide the necessary instructions. If there is anything I pray your time at Beacon has taught you, it's that strong alliances will prove more worthy than all of the lien in the world. Utilize every contact, draw from every skill. Ask the right people, for the right things. Have no shame doing so, because that isn't showing weakness, its bettering lives."

Weiss took another shaky breath. It was all so overwhelming. "As always, you're right."

* * *

True to Blake's warning, the students from Beacon finally arrived in mass. Several full teams signed up for the project, while a handful of others came by themselves. Either way, there were finally enough people and supplies. It was time to get some real work done. Professor Goodwitch tasked herself and a large group to lead the Grimm extermination. They left on foot later that day. The more reckless students were either with her, or tasked with demolition.

On the other end of the compound, construction work was in full swing. Building future framework, preparing the foundation, pouring over finalized semantics. Just beyond that, long trenches of dirt and snow were being treated for contaminates, something that took more manpower than Weiss had originally thought. She overlooked all of the going's on, delegating tasks and sifting through grungy paper work.

"You okay there?" Yang asked, coming to rest on a folding chair that had seen better days. She was one of many schlepping the heavier goods from one place to another on foot, and her long day of work showed.

"Honestly…" Weiss looked around. It was still a mess, but it was good one. She knew this one would mean good things for the future. "I am doing a little better."

"You look dead on your feet." Yang noted, flipping up her canteen and taking a swig of water. "You sure you're not overdoing it?"

"If I'm overworked, so is everyone else here." Weiss replied, looking back down at her scroll. "Besides, this part is actually the easiest. I need to worry about afterwards too. I'm going to have to run this mine remotely, while still attending school. I need to fine the right people that I can delegate the…" Weiss trailed off. "Oh my god." She murmured, her voice soft.

"Hmmm?" Yang leaned over, her eyes growing wide. "I.D. Tags?"

"Yes, but that's not the problem." Weiss murmured. "In Atlas, it's still legal to own indentured servants."

"Slaves?"

"Crude…but, if you want to look at it that way, yes." Weiss said. "Indentured servitude is basically when an employee is bound by some sort of debt to be repaid. They normally sign some form on contract to work for an employer. That contract lasts for a fixed amount of time. The contracts are usually shady, full of loopholes the employer can exploit, but that the employee cannot. Atlas is the only place on Remnant where the practice hasn't been outlawed."

"You sound like it's fairly typical..."

"It is." Weiss replied. "For humans and Faunus." She looked up at Yang then. "But, you see, that's not the part that it's important. What you need to understand is that an employer who owns servants can assign that labor to third party individuals."

"Ya lost me, princess."

"These are my employees…but they're _not_ my servants. The land is mine, the mining shaft is mine…the people aren't." Weiss said bluntly as she flicked through the long list of names. "They _belong_ , they're _owned_ by someone else."

"Who in the hell does this?" Yang growled, a residual anger in her voice. "Speak to me like I'm stupid, cause I swear to god, I better have misinterpreted what you just said."

"There was no misinterpretation, Yang."

"So, then what the hell?" Yang asked. "Who the hell?"

"Who do you think?" Weiss asked darkly. "When my father bought the land, he bought the contracts too. Technically, the Schnee family owns them now. Which, normally I wouldn't be overly concerned about…but look at this…"

"So…" Red eyes blinked at the document. "This is one of those contract doohickeys?" Yang looked it over. The writing was flowery, the fine print looked old. The yellow paper had been signed long before it had ever been scanned into a computer database. That much Yang could tell. "What am I supposed to be looking for?"

"One of the most important parts of these kinds of contracts! The thing that's _not_ there." Weiss felt her stomach drop. "There's not an expiration date on these contracts."

"What?"

"Look here." Weiss pointed. "The fine print reads for an indefinite amount of time. These contracts are signed by bloodline, not singularity. That means it falls to the next generation, and the next, and the next…until the contract owner deems the debt repaid."

Yang sat back down as that sunk in. "Which, could be never."

Weiss nodded numbly. "Legally speaking, yes."

"Yeah, but you're going to take over the company, right?" Yang asked, her words holding a desperate sort of hope. "So I mean, eventually, you can tear all of those contract up and set 'em on fucking fire. I'd be happy to help you set as many of those things ablaze as you want. Bingo, no more contracts…no more of this…"

"Yang, I'm only eighteen, and we still have two more years at Beacon left." There was a heat in her voice. A quiet, but calm rage, one that was clawing at her. "My father is only in his forty's. It could be another twenty years before he fully hands over the keys to the SDC."

"And you can't get him to burn them himself?" Yang surmised.

Weiss licked her lips, eyes closing. She recalled something her father once said, something that aggravated her to no end. "Faunus are Faunus, and that's all they will ever be." It made her sick even thinking about it now. "When I was growing up, those were the kind of lines he fed me…he won't void those contracts any time soon…meanwhile, these people are at his mercy."

"Then, what are we going to do about it?" Yang asked, being entirely and completely serous. As if they could just turn the complexities of the Schnee family upside down in a matter of hours.

She handed Yang back the work gloves. "You are going to go help Ruby and team JNPR with whatever the heck they're doing over there." Weiss pointed over to the demolition site, where Nora was having a field day. "I'm going to go find Blake, and Ozpin…I need to…" Weiss bit down on her lip. To what? Call her father? Have another breakdown? That wouldn't do her any good. "I'm not exactly sure yet, but we're going to do something."

* * *

All in due time.

It was what Ozpin had told her. When she'd spoken with him about the contracts, traces of contempt in her voice aimed at the Schnee patriarch, Ozpin listened dutifully. He could clearly understand her youthful desire for change. He even admired it. Yet, he had to remind himself, she was still just so young. There was only so much she could do right now.

He told her to focus on the changes she could make, and to bide her time on the ones she couldn't. It was the best he could offer with his smooth wisdom. Truth be told, it left everyone unsatisfied. Himself included.

Blake had not been happy to hear about the indefinite contracts that prolonged the labor here. She wasn't a guru about politics, so she sat and considered Ozpin's words. He was probably right. There wasn't much that could be done right now. Not without making a scene, and putting other people at risk. She was done with that kind of mindless, anger driven action. No amount of violent protesting, bombing, or stealing would sway a man like the head of the SDC.

It wouldn't change the government, either. Really, that's what needed to happen. It wasn't just the SDC, it was Atlas as a whole.

"You look beat." Yang said, bringing two trays of food to their corner of a lopsided table. "You okay?"

"Better than Weiss…"

"Uh, Blake, a sack of pissed off vipers would be better off than Weiss right now." Yang explained, cramming a fork full of mashed potatoes into her mouth. "That does not instill confidence."

"I'm not trying to be confidant, I'm trying to help figure out these mining records." She turned the files over to the blonde. "Someone's going to have to watch over this place when we leave, but no one wants to even go near Weiss, let alone maintain contact with her."

"Eh, that'll come…just give it some time." Yang thought about it. "So, this guy…he seems to know what he's doing."

"He's not much of a talker." Blake replied, gesturing to the bear Faunus in question. "Man of few words, and fewer syllables."

"Sooo?"

"So, I hardly think it's a good idea."

"You're not used to big, burly, and silent, are you?"

Blake rolled her eyes at that. "And I suppose you are?"

"I'd wager better than you." Yang said cockily, before her edge softened to one of kindness. "Look, I grew up in Patch, okay? It's all ass backwards farmland and woods. The strong silent type is a pretty common thing out there. Sometimes, you just need a more direct approach."

"You are going to start a fight…"

"And if I don't?"

Blake sighed at length. "Yang, this is not a time to be making bets."

That troublesome grin across her face, eyes alight with mischief, she leaned. "Oh, hell yeah it is." Yang's voice was light, carried by her charm. Natural and free. "Tell ya what, Blakey. I'll get grumpy-pants over there to play nice-nice with Weiss…you just deal with the ice queen before she shoves another icicle up her butt. What do you say to that?"

"I'll try." Blake said softly...

It was the best she could promise.

* * *

 **AYangThang** : Happy early Monday morning, or depending on where some of you are, late-late Sunday night. Don't know if I'll be able to toss up an extra chapter of this story, this week, or not. We'll have to play it by ear...if not, see you all next Monday.


	4. Chapter 4

Blake sat just outside her small, single person tent. Thermal and strong to the elements. They had to be small, so they could easily catch body heat. Drinking warm tea and bundling up hardly fended off the nighttime winds.

Ruby had given up her tent to a student who'd forgotten his. The sisters were already mushed together in Yang's. All in all, not bad way to spend a chilly, subzero night. Then again, the cat Faunus wasn't exactly minding her place either. She'd chosen a campsite tucked away, nestled in some greenery and a few logs that had seen better days. From her position, she could watch the world around her.

Being around so many Faunus brought back old memories.

They weren't animals, but their blood roared proudly through their veins. As a people, those echoes resonated through everyone. With just a tiny sniff of the air, Blake identified friends and family, lovers and drinking buddies. She deduced enemies even more swiftly, and picked up on the general consensus of Weiss, and the Schnee family. The smell of hate, the claiming of mates, the demand to be seen as the strong superior over all who passed by.

This was a group with no leader. The strong-willed fighting for supremacy and dominance by the use of smell alone.

Running her thumbs across her fingertips, Blake did something she hadn't done since she was a little girl. She needed to lay claim to what was hers. She wanted to, the only way a Faunus ever could. She made her palms sweat ever so slightly, something any Faunus could do, anytime they wanted. Hand outstretched to a nearby tree limb, she rubbed the bark, the pads of her fingers digging in, and the butt of her palm doing the same.

 _"Mine…_ " Her place to belong in the torrent of scent and Faunus complexity. _"Mine, not yours. Mine."_ A tiny place of her own. Her palm reached out to her tent. _"My place to be. My territory…"_

These thoughts, these emotions, so powerful that they commanded her to act, etched themselves into her scent…

Etching themselves into a world that she would never fully be part of otherwise. She wasn't a human, and though she lived among them, this was not a place of human nature. The rules were different, and Blake's heart pounded at the rush of her own dominant instincts. Ones that were demanding her, roaring at her, to command her own supremacy. In the White Fang, she once held a position of power because Adam favored her, she wanted…needed that respect again.

Needed to be seen as a respectable Faunus, who would protect her people and dominate over any opposition.

 _"_ _Mine, or else…"_ Golden eyes narrowed, and she looked across the way. Yang's tent... a human tent. The urge to mark it was extreme. _"This is also mine. My partner, my friend. Both mine."_ She marked it, and the trees bordering it, the actions swift and measured. _"My social group. Mine. Mine, not yours. Mine to protect. Mine to have. Not yours. Never yours, unless you answer to me. I am their alpha. They are mine…"_

Blake looked around then, a new prospect coming to mind. She went looking for the heiress. Blake had no idea why, but the heiress was curled up in front of the fire. Shivering and watching the dancing flame.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Blake asked, voice low enough not to be a disturbance.

"I can't sleep…" Weiss shrugged, forcing a smile that just wasn't there. "What about you?"

"Same." Blake watched the fire, elbow resting on one knee as she rubbed her eyes.

"Blake, can I ask you something really personal?"

Blake looked up, studied her. Then, she looked to the rows of tents. "Not here." She said, standing. "Let's go."

Weiss got up, following Blake quietly. Their footfalls taking them deeper into the wooded area. The snow crunched underfoot since these paths hadn't been cleared. After some time, the girls stopped, overlooking a cliff. Sharp, jagged pieces of rock were sticking up from the frozen ground beneath it. Black and deep glistening silver against a tapestry of white. It glowed as it reflected the moon. Deadly if they fell, but gorgeous to look at.

It was at the edge of this rather precarious cliff that Blake sat, encouraging Weiss to do the same.

"This isn't the first time you've seen things like this." Weiss said knowingly. Feeling that Blake was no stranger to this sort of lifestyle. It wasn't a question, or even an accusation. It was just the truth. "I want to know how, and why."

Blake had expected a great many seedier questions revolving around some sort of sin she might have committed. In the past she had done a great many misdeeds. She wasn't innocent, and Weiss had never pressed for those sorts of answers. Now, Weiss had a reason to. It was strange, then, that this sort of ambiguous question was the first to greet her ears.

"Well," Blake began, somewhat timidly. "Can't say I was expecting that…" Her words were clouds to the cold air. "I could just tell you that it was back when I was in the White Fang…leaving it there."

"But, you think that isn't enough, obviously."

"You'd be right."

"You didn't…grow up in one of these places…did you?"

Golden eyes widened. "No. God no." She turned to Weiss. "Then again, it might have been easier if I had…"

"You're insane…" Weiss refused it. "This is hell in a hand basket. It's no way to live."

Blake offered what little she could, in as detached a way as possible. "I spent my young life in pubs, back alleyways, shoddy hotels, and stuffy apartments. When I was a child, places were only territory. Home was with the White Fang. It changed on a dime. It wasn't until Beacon that I actually understood the word as a place, and not a group." Blake frowned, her voice gentle, but stern. "It's been my experience, that people who grow up in social groups like this…they're hive-minded. They focus on the unit at large. It's survival, and it's instinct."

"Blake…that's awful…"

"Only if you know better…people like these, they don't…they _can't_."

Weiss bristled. "They can."

"They're different." Blake murmured. "People that don't live under these conditions are allowed to think independently. They have a wider purview of the world. This leads to idealism and methodology…things that, out here, you just can't afford to have."

Weiss didn't know what to say to that. It was the furthest thing from what she expected to hear. "So, how did it happen?"

"I can't really say for sure." Blake took a breath, eyes closing to take her back to a time of innocence. "When I was little, my parents wouldn't let me outside to play very often. It wasn't always safe. My escape came from reading, anything and everything. I loved learning, the adults taught me everything I'd absorb, and I was a sponge. I was five years old, I was exploring around, and I found some Schnee family documents. I asked him about it, but my father was upset. He said I was too young. It wasn't until I was about ten that I finally understood. By then, they weren't around anymore, and Gambol Shroud was my only answer to any of it."

"I can't even imagine that…"

Blake opened her eyes. "I don't want you to."

Weiss gave her friend something of a look. "It's hard not to. And every time I do, my mind takes it to the worst places. I wish it didn't have to be that way. It _shouldn't_ be this way."

"I know…" Blake sighed at that. "Come here."

"What?" Her voice was so delicate, fragile and on the verge of breaking.

"Just…come here…"

She watched Weiss hesitate, but Blake wasn't in the mood for waiting, and hauled Weiss into her lap. They sat quietly like that, Blake's eyes scanning the outer reaches of the distance. Her words of wisdom were gentle. "You need to stop seeing all of the negative things that you can't fix. You'll just dig yourself deeper and deeper." Weiss stayed tense, unmoving. Blake rested her chin on the girl's shoulder. "Lesson number one about Faunus. Among ourselves, we speak more with our senses than with our words. We act in the moment more often than we preempt the future…you need to relax. Take each day as it comes."

Blake wrapped her arms around the tense heiress, but it soothed away nothing. Weiss just sat there, wordless, as they maintained their vigil of the cold, snowy bottom at the end of the precipice.

 _"_ _Mine…my social group."_ Blake thought to herself, marking Weiss. _"Mine not yours. Mine…"_

* * *

If this first week was anything to go by, it would be a long two months of summer in the snowy north. All seven days went by with baited breath, shuttering sighs stifled between tears. More than one setback had fallen over the repairs. It was an ambitious test, Weiss would have failed under any other circumstance. As it stood, she knew she would barely succeed.

She just didn't sleep well anymore, and after her midnight pacing around became too much for even Blake to endure. The Faunus had started dragging Weiss into her tent at night. Kept her there, forced her to rest.

In the seven days, there were a total of five missed calls from her father, and Weiss was not interested in returning them. It was on one such early day that Weiss hit the ignore button, rolled over, and acquainted herself with her new most favorite place to be. Blake's arms. There was something nice about it that Weiss couldn't quite put her finger on. She couldn't even describe why she liked it so much.

It was absolutely freezing outside, which certainly helped the argument for sharing sleeping spaces, but she knew that was a smoke-screen and little more. There was something though, that set Blake a cut above the rest. Maybe, it was just because she understood the mental hoops Weiss had been jumping. Trying to keep one step ahead of any potential problems.

Either way, as that scroll buzzed again. Blake took it upon herself to reach over and silence it, before a dainty fist to retaliate in earnest. Weiss was liable to smash it to bits soon enough.

"You should probably talk to him." Blake said looking at the now sixth missed call.

"I don't know what to say." Weiss unzipped the tent the slightest bit. Only enough to stick her finger out. "I'm so angry at him right now. I'll probably blurt out something I'll regret." The snow had risen during the night. She zipped the tent back up and rolled over. While she took to sleeping in a white sweatshirt at night, during the day she wore her usual combat attire. Fumbling around, she found her clothes.

Blake respectfully averted her gaze while trying to avoid flailing limbs. The space was small enough with one person, let alone two. "What if he comes looking for you? You've heard the voice mails. He sounds genuinely sorry for upsetting you."

"But the reason why doesn't matter to him." Weiss told Blake. "He…he doesn't hate Faunus in the traditional sense. He just, doesn't view Faunus as people. He thinks they're animals, workhorses at best...you don't want to know the worst. He's apologizing to me because he's my father, and he loves me. Not because he truly believes he did something wrong, or that anything went wrong out here."

"Preaching to the choir on that one." Blake told her. "No offense, if he dropped dead right now, as a Faunus, I'd breathe a huge sigh of relief…I'd feel bad for you, but, I just don't think I could ever bring myself to respect him. Too much bad blood."

"And now that what I see why, I don't blame you." Weiss said. "But I have _nothing_ to say to him right now."

Blake also began to get dressed into her battle attire. "Well, the cold shoulder isn't exactly the answer."

"Then what do you propose I do, blow up at him? I'm one more really bad day away from doing exactly that."

"Weiss, he's your dad…if nothing else, he'll always be that." Blake murmured. "Changes isn't founded on silence. We have never had a voice willing enough to stand up to a man like Wilson Schnee. If you don't talk to him, then, we still don't have a voice."

"You want a voice…fine." Weiss handed Blake her scroll. " _You_ call him. You tell him all of the things you want to say to him…and if he's listened to everything you say… _then_ , I'll talk to him. Until then, he can sit there and stew behind his big fancy office desk, and his pompous sense of morality, because I refuse to face it anymore." She said, haughtily sliding down the zipper to the tent. "I can't face it anymore."

"Okay…" Blake grabbed her, pulled her into her lap again. Something that Weiss was noticing to happen daily now. Whenever she seemed upset, Blake grabbed at her. "Okay…I'll deal with him." Her arms wrapped around Weiss a little more tightly. "I'll take care of it."

Take care of him…Wilson Schnee, and everyone else giving Weiss a hard time…

 _"_ _Mine to protect. Mine."_ Blake marked with care. If Weiss wanted her to see to the matter, Blake would see to it. In no uncertain terms. She would deal with this the only way she knew how. It would be crass, but oh so very effective. _"Mine! Hurt her, answer to me. Mine!"_

* * *

Weiss headed for the meal tent. Walking through the campground, she noticed the strangely wide space between herself and some of the Faunus. Even the ones she knew from Beacon jumped back a bit as Weiss passed by. All of them eyed her with shock, many of them awe, and Weiss had no idea why. She grabbed her meal, hot rice gruel, a common breakfast staple in atlas.

Warm but flavorless, she took a cinnamon packet to go in it. With everyone at gawking her, she looked for a friendly face, finding it on the knowing little smirks of team coffee. "Coco!" Weiss took a sigh of relief at that. "Oh, what are you four doing here?"

"Making sure my future business partner isn't getting herself in hot water." Coco stood to hug Weiss in greeting. "You look better than what the rumors say. I was worried when word traveled as fast as it did."

"That's kind of you to say…" Weiss said slowly.

"Sit with us, I need to talk to you anyway." Coco demanded, plopping Weiss between her and Velvet. The rabbit Faunus was meek by nature, but even she wasn't so shy as to scoot towards her gigantic mission partner unless there was a reason. "Uh Velvet, you okay babe?"

"Erm…yes?" She squeaked.

"Alright, what in the world is going on?" Weiss turned, giving Velvet a perplexed look. "You're all avoiding me like I've got the plague or something. What on earth did I do, step in some scat or something?"

Velvet blinked owlishly. "You mean…you don't know?"

"Not a clue, and you seem to think it's obvious…" Weiss sighed, breaking into her seasoning packet.

"Well, to Faunus, it's hard to miss." Velvet murmured. "Obviously, you were around Blake."

"I've been sharing her tent with her. I gave mine away. Ruby's been bunking with Yang for the same reason." Weiss explained with a little shrug. "Why, is that somehow a bad thing?"

"No…not at all." Velvet said, dropping the matter. She wasn't going to dare upset Weiss. Not with that angry promise of pissed off retribution wafting all over her. Blake wasn't in the mood for idle games, or so it seemed. "It's just as you said. You're sharing a tent with her, and we can tell. You need to remember, back at Beacon you sleep in your own bed…it's just a bit of a shock."

"Well, you can stop being shocked. It's just practicality." Weiss replied, shaking her head. "The sooner the better. It's extremely off-putting to be avoided even by the people I know."

Velvet didn't think it wise to argue that point. She went back to sitting comfortably, partaking her own meal. "I'm sorry, it's just a bad habit."

"No, that's fine." Weiss said, though she didn't know why Velvet was so jumpy today. It was best to leave the shy girl alone. "So, Coco, you said you had something to speak to me about?"

Coco pulled out a card filled with lien, sliding it across the table. "You're not the only one dealing with your father's stupidity, Weiss, remember that." Crossing her arms, she watched Weiss look at the money wide eyed. "Here's the score. My family's company is going to me after graduation. I don't want any bad blood between us, but your dad and mine are different. A little sweet talk, a little sway, and I'm daddy's little girl…I get what I want…"

"So, what do you want me to do exactly?"

"Get yours to stop bitching to my dad about Velvet." Coco removed her glasses, her statement earnest. In that one action, she shared a true glance with Weiss. "Fox, Velv, and I are mates under Faunus guidelines…I don't need a human wedding to Fox, so I'm not going to do it. I refuse to make Velvet into my mistress, and your daddy-dearest needs to understand that."

Weiss rubbed the side of her head. "I knew one of these days your hippie tendencies, would get us both into trouble."

"Peace and love, but screw the bellbottoms, baby…" Coco grinned, putting her glasses back on. "So, can you tell him to screw off for me? Apparently when I tell him, it isn't enough. Since you're poised for the company soon, I figured your approval might get him to take a few steps back."

"I'm not poised for the company until he says I am." Weiss said quietly. "And besides that, I have bigger fish to fry right now."

"What kind of fish?" Coco asked, leaning in a little.

Weiss looked to team CFVY before pulling out her scroll. Pointing it to the right place, she slipped it to Coco. "I need to void these out, and the sooner would be better." She whispered, showing Coco the contracts that didn't expire. "Until I get control of the company, though, there isn't much I can do. My father's young, he likes control. Outside of taking the company over, the only other option is to get the government to outlaw indentured servitude."

"That pompous asshole, he's not going to move any time soon…" Coco filled in, her own ire slipping into her voice. "Not with all of that labor just sitting there at his fingertips."

"But, Coco, your family uses servants on yours ships too, don't you?"

"We do." Coco said carefully. "But that's different. Our contracts only last a year or two tops, and those have to do with Atlas citizenships. We sponsor them, they work for us for cheaper labor. They don't get deported, we make a larger profit margin. Most of our servants are human. The Faunus community is, admittedly, a very small number." She considered the problem at hand. "Looks like you could use a little bit of heavy hitting corporate muscle."

"That's putting it mildly." Weis admitted. "I'm not sure what to do."

Coco grinned, she had no problems antagonizing the resident thorn in her side. Besides, on a purely her own greed, there was something else in for it too. Velvet's respect and honor, something Coco had been having a hard time earning when it came to her father's peers. Wilson, spearheaded that negativity. "Fine then, I don't have anything better to do. If it sticks in Wilson's craw, all the better."

"Good luck with that." Fox spoke cynically. "It's damn near impossible to get Atlas, or the Schnee Dust Company, to budge on Faunus rights."

"Vale passed such an act roughly forty years ago…" Yatsuhashi opined helpfully. "It is not impossible to change the mindset of the public. It will be difficult, but anything worth doing is."

"Give me some time to think about this, Weiss." Coco said then. "I'm sure there's a way to take care of those contracts, we just need to figure out how."


	5. Chapter 5

The mines were starting to shape up by the end of the first month. The homes had been built, and Weiss had finally earned a small fraction of respect among the community. Sadly, it wasn't enough to fully subdue the murmurs going on around her. In an attempt to gain even more trust, Weiss began working the mines. Taking the hard labor as it came, and sweating bullets as she learned many tasks.

It was dangerous work, made deadly by the sulfur pools deep within. A rich person might rejoice at the idea that a hot spring could be tapped, but the miners were afraid of them, and Weiss soon learned why. It was all too soon when some red dust combusted in the narrow passageway.

Blake even she flinched when she took in the sight in front of her. Weiss Schnee, the only true precision fighter on their team, now lay in bed, with her leg propped up on a series of pillows. Bandages covered her right thigh, knee, and calf, making it impossible to walk on her own. Blake had carried her back to the room they now used.

She bit her lip, hating herself for letting Weiss get out of her sight. "I knew it was a bad idea letting you go in there alone." Blake said as she fumbled for her scroll. "Someone should call Ruby."

"I'll be out of commission for half a day at most." Weiss said, reaching over to her own scroll. "I'll tell her offhandedly when she gets back, but right now, there's not point in worrying her. She's over in Patch anyway, I'd be fully recovered by the time she gets here."

"You took a dust combustion in the face, Weiss." Blake knew she should have pushed Weiss into keeping to desk work instead. Knew it, like she knew they needed air to breathe. In the end, she hadn't said a word, and now, Weiss was hurt. The team would forgive her, of course. Injuries were common, but that didn't make her feel any less aggravated at herself. "You should tell Ruby so she can decide if she wants to come back or not."

"Are you completely stupid?"

"No, I'm being practical."

"Because upsetting Ruby is number one in the list of top ten smartest things to do during summer break!" Weiss had two modes for her shouting. High and shrill, or loud and long winded. Today it was the former, and Blake pinned back her ears. The sharp sound tore through the air like a knife. Noticing the taller girl wincing, Weiss forced out a slow breath. No less agitated, but not so cruel as to keep assaulting Blake's sensitive hearing. "I sent them back home because we're going to need Ruby in top form."

"Yeah, well she wasn't happy about it."

"Neither was Yang…but I needed the space too." Weiss gave Blake a long look. "If I thought I could force you on that airbus along with them, I would have."

"Wasn't going to go." Blake murmured. "I've got too much to do here…"

"And I know that, which is why I didn't." Weiss said, frustrated at her current predicament. "Like it or not, you've got your own motivations for doing this…still, the workers aren't becoming friendly with me like I hoped. With most of the Beacon students done with what they can do, the rest is all prep work. Ruby and Yang can't exactly help with that."

"They wanted to though, and Yang's better suited to hauling dust than you are."

"they're better off in Patch."

Blake huffed a breath. "I'd bet you anything Yang's splitting firewood, or doing some other equally hard task. Even while at home, there's still work around the house they always need to do."

"But she is home, and that was the point." Weiss sighed. "They have one month, Blake. One last measly little month to spend with their father before all third year teams are trained on application. Don't screw it up for them just because I miscalculated the work around here."

"So, what's this application camp, anyway?" Blake asked.

"You mean, you don't know?" When Blake shook her head, Weiss suppressed a curse. "Okay, listen, Beacon is a renown for their training. That's because third students don't stay safely nestled away in the heart of Vale. You've probably already noticed this, but the real missions start during our third year."

"I've heard rumors about that, I didn't think they were true though."

"It's true. Third year is like a boot camp. It'll only get harder, our fourth year, we're on our own completely. The training wheels are coming off, and I, for one, don't want to rip Ruby away from her happy little island until we absolutely have too." With a frown, she looked out of the window. "She's not going to be able to see her mother's grave for a long time."

"It doesn't seem like common knowledge…" Blake murmured, eyes slanting in worry.

"That's because the final details aren't. They change every year based on the needs of the people. During that time, we'll return to Beacon for breaks often, of course. It won't be like before though. Third year has the highest dropout percentage, and the largest failure percentage combined."

Blake suppressed a hiss. "That…doesn't sound so good."

"Honestly, it's the school work I'm worried about. On top of the continual missions, we'll still have our Grimm studies classes, and all of our text book work to complete. Though it'll be self-study only. If we don't finish our work at the end of the term, we can't take our exams. That'll be an instant failure."

"Yang's going to be pissed." Blake murmured to herself, thinking about all of the forced study sessions that were going to take place in the middle of the wilderness. And that was if they were lucky to find a safe enough spot.

"She's the one that wanted to come to Beacon…we'll all have to step it up, myself included." Weiss said, then she felt her scroll buzz. Looking down, she saw her father's name and clicked ignore. He refused to say a word to Blake, refused to talk to a Faunus, even if it was a friend of his daughter's. So, Weiss refused to speak to him as well. The fighting was cold, but calculated.

"You're not going to answer that?"

"No."

Blake watched as Weiss went so far as to delete the voicemail without even listening to it. "You need to talk to him sooner or later."

"Honestly, I don't." Weiss replied. "I send him work related correspondence, and that's all he needs. If he won't talk to you, then I refuse to let him say a single word to me." Instead, her fingers flew across the keys. Instant text messaging was the easiest way to communicate. It wasn't, however, always the best way.

Weiss bit her lip as she scanned the long overdue correspondence from her father. She loved him as any daughter might, even if their relationship had been pushed to the limits by a difference of ideology. He wasn't a terrible man. He was just pig-headed, demanding a particular level of respect. He had never been the most compassionate human being, and he had his own way of doing things.

A way, Weiss vowed, that would change just as soon as she graduated Beacon.

"So it's come to this…" She sighed as she looked down at the elegant script. The words etching themselves into her brain. "I'll give my father credit, he still manages to make questionable choices, even when he's trying to do the right thing." Weiss considered airily, an insipid bite in her tone.

"Weiss…is everything okay?"

"More or less." Weiss replied. "I'm kind of surprised this hasn't happened sooner. Don't worry about it, it's just a family related kerfuffle."

* * *

Weiss didn't seem to be genuinely bothered. So, Blake didn't worry, at first.

But then, the text messages started coming more and more often. Weiss would get quieter about what was being exchanged. Doing what she knew best, she tossed herself into her work. She had finally gotten the bear Faunus to come around to her side. If he did it out of being ordered to, or because he genuinely began to respect her, Weiss couldn't tell.

He was just the sort of man to bottle his feelings away. He even refused to tell her his name. She could have looked it up, but she got the impression he wouldn't let her use it anyway.

"Move…that…put it there." The man had said. "Yer gunna grab that there lever, yank it. Pull it toward ya. Then, yer gunna go 'round the box. Secure it, then, pull the lever again. Ya do that right, the box'll follow that chain there, outside."

Covered in soot, she nodded, doing as she was told. Her body was sore, her bones tired, and her hair nearly black from the trickling sediment overhead.

"Again. Yer bein' slow."

"Sorry." She did the next one faster, but not fast enough.

"Get the led outta yer ass." He told her. "Move." He demonstrated on the next box. He was well practiced and skillful. He did it in half the time, without stopping, his movements flowing right into the next one. "If ya ain't pulling sixty boxes an hour, yer slowin' production. Doin' that slows everythin' else up."

Weiss sighed, feeling like she hit a wall again, unable to perform even the most basic tasks. "I'll do better next time."

He shook his head. "Get outta the way. Ya ain't fit for this. Gonna get hurt ya keep it up. Outta the shaft."

"I just want to help…"

"Ya want me runnin' this place, ya get the hell out." He growled. "Got cat reek all over ya. Ain't here cause you know what yer doin'. Yer here cause ya think yer special. Ya ain't…"

There was no use fighting him. Even after all of the good she thought she might have done, she felt guilty. Guilty for all of the years of torture she couldn't undue. She'd seen him working shirtless a few times, his body was riddled with old wounds. He'd been beaten bloody more than once, and there was no way she could undo that. Many of the other workers were the same.

She walked to a different station, but they wouldn't let her work either. Or rather, they refused to teach her how to use the large bulky machine used for drilling. There were people further ahead examining the dropped boxes, checking the firm, uncut crystals. She could do that without help, having known such basic details from being a little girl. She got rid of the thick work-gloves and put on a more delicate set of cotton ones.

It didn't take long for her to notice that it was mostly women and children working at this particular station. No heavy lifting, just minor details. A careful, well-trained eye for crystals. Some men worked there as well, but they were older. Well beyond their prime to be down with the more able bodied workers. She didn't know how long she stayed there, under the stifling air, and cramped conditions. Watching as workers tossed the unusable crystals in different bins to be grinded down into dust.

From there, there were two methods of dust grinding, manually by hand, and automatically by machine, and this location used both.

Hand ground dust was of better quality, hours and hours spent grinding one dust shard, and removing impurities. It meant that the crystal didn't meet any contamination from other types. It was rare, and expensive. Machine ground crystals were less pure. That type of dust inevitably had residue from the machine, and other crystal of its type…or, in some cases, even not of its type.

Combustion dust, for example, was a mix of volatile substances that made a spark and explosion on impact. Knowing this, she worked tirelessly. Over time, she noticed the space she was being given. The Faunus were avoiding her. Weiss wasn't sure why, but it had been going on for several weeks, and it always seemed to get worse whenever she was around Blake.

Side by side, sorting crystals. she asked. "Why are they doing that?"

"Hmm?" Blake looked up from her task, a yellow crystal in hand.

Weiss leaned in. "You came and sat down, and those three moved away. What is it about you that freaks them out so much."

"Faunus related matter, Weiss." Blake said quietly. "You don't have to worry about it."

"Except that, I think I do…" Weiss wasn't sure why, but she had the distinct impression that these women were afraid of Blake…that several others were too. "Do they know about your past? Is that why they're afraid."

"Do you really want to know?" Blake asked.

Weiss nodded.

"Not here then. Let's go to the usual place." Blake said, shucking off her work gear, and placing the crystal in the inspection bin, waiting for Weiss to do the same. They walked to the usual cliff in silence. Blake's mind was numb, the same way it had been when she started marking her territory, and her friends. She kept her features neutral, but she was worried about how Weiss would take it.

This wouldn't keep happening once they got to Beacon, or so Blake had promised herself…but, it felt good to act like her instinct demanded…lifted a weight off of her shoulders, soothed away many nights of paranoia.

She never marked territory at Beacon, not even her own bed or bookshelf. She had demanded herself to be human, to act human, to live only as a human would. She would have to go back to that forced humanity, and some part of her resented that. Hated herself for denying her own personhood, in an attempt to fit into a place her kind didn't belong.

They would never be humans, even if they would always be people. That distinction was the battle Blake could never win. She wanted humanity, she wanted to be let into that world, and her team had welcomed her with open arms. They didn't make the same distinction, and she didn't want to lose that equality. She didn't want to frighten Weiss with undoubtedly animalistic behavior.

They sat at the edge of the snowy cliff. "Weiss, I'm not human…"

"Well, duh." Weiss laughed softly. "I know that already."

"No, I mean…I'm really not human." Blake wished Weiss had a sense of smell. That she could detect intent the same way Blake could. That her perceptions were wider, her understanding fuller. "I act that way because I live with humans. People like you, and I want to be accepted as one…but…" A shuttering sigh. "I'm not human." She looked down at the expanse of white. During the day, the sun melted the snow, making it glisten against the black rocks. "And I've been doing things that are normal for Faunus, but that humans might not understand."

"And...whatever it is you're doing, is bothering the others?"

"When we first came here, there was no true leader." Blake said thoughtfully. "There was just a lot of…well…scent marking."

"Scent marking…" Weiss winced. She wasn't sure what in the world she expected, but it wasn't _that_. "As an ani-" She cut herself off. That would be the wrong thing to say.

"Like an animal, Weiss, yes." Blake murmured.

"I didn't mean-"

"I know." Blake interrupted.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. Honestly, that's probably as close as you'll get to understanding it, so…if it makes it easier…" Blake took a breath. "I know you didn't mean it in a bad way."

"So, Faunus do…that…" Weiss said slowly. "Scent marking..."

"Yes." Blake held open her palm, rubbing her finger tips. "I leave behind a scent everywhere I go. Intentionally, or not. Now, the times I'm not trying to, it's faint and unobtrusive. It just means that I'm passing by…the same way your perfume might pass through the air in the lunch room or something. It's harmless, and it dissipates quickly."

Weiss didn't like where this was going. "And…what about intentionally…"

Her cheeks tinged pink at this, shamefully looking away. Blake had started to make a name for herself here. Had risen the ranks in a few snarling matches she didn't want Weiss to know about. She was becoming one of the alpha females. A regulator. She was undoubatly the strongest female Faunus in the area willing to fight. Males and females alike were taking notice, and her skills in the White Fang, her abilities as a huntress, meant that very few would be able to oppose her in a match of dominance. Fewer still would be able to win.

Blake sighed. "Intentionally, that's harder to explain. I guess for a human, that would be like writing a great big note for all to see."

"I have one of these 'great big notes', don't I?" Weiss asked, though there was a deep mix of trepidation mingling with the heated accusation. "And you put it there…"

"Every Faunus does it. Humans just don't notice it…and I…" Blake curled up in a ball. "I don't try to do it, because I don't want humans to hate me."

"Blake, what the hell did you do to me?" There was calmness in the question, and that worried Blake even more.

"I…" Her ears flattened back. "I called you my kin. I marked you…and Yang…and Ruby…as my kin." She scrunched her eyes shut, waiting to be hit. "Faunus are afraid of you because my scent says not to upset you…it says I'll hurt them, if they try to hurt you."

"You…" Weiss sighed, picking herself of up off the ground as she stormed off.

"Weiss….Weiss?" Blake opened her eyes. "Wait!"

"That's what he meant by 'cat reek', isn't it?!" The heiress turned on her heel. "I am going to take a long, hot shower, and get this…whatever _this_ even is off of me. And you…" Weiss was furious, and she shook her head. "You're never going to do this to me again!"

* * *

Weiss had bitten down her tirade before any invectives slipped out, but she was as angry as she was confused.

Even after scrubbing herself down, she felt dirty. Everyone had their eye on her, and some Faunus were sniffing her. It seemed as if the fear was gone, but along with it came soft snarls as she passed by. The bad temperaments rose up, and eventually she was cornered.

"The fuck you doin' here, missy?" A wolf Faunus, tall, and not without his friends began to circle her.

"I'm passing by to go to the mess hall." Weiss replied evenly, not knowing the world of trouble she literally stepped into.

"No, I don't think so." He grinned. "I think you'll do better here. Right where I want you."

"Stand aside." Weiss demanded, heat in her glacial stare.

"Excuse me?" He huffed, bending down to get in her face. "Think I misheard you."

"I said, stand aside." Weiss pressed, her sword at her hip. She was ready to draw, ready to take him down, but the hesitation was clear as day, and he acted on it.

"What do you think you're doing, girlie?" The tall man with fangs asked. "Coming into my space, acting like you own the god damn place…think again."

"Stand down, Robo!" Blake called from across the way, shoulders squared back as she walked into the wolf's domain. "She's nose blind, she didn't know."

"The fuck you want with this filthy human, anyway, Blake?" He growled, one clawed hand lifted to pick a flea off of his ear. "Don't smell like you, thought you might have done away with her…came to your senses."

"Who are you calling filthy!" Weiss demanded, only to meet his canines, his face a full snarl.

Blake yanked her back, putting distance between them. "Weiss, hush."

"Blake-"

"I said hush!" Blake growled at Weiss from over her shoulder. Blake didn't want this to turn into a fight. Her own ears flattened back in warning. Her teeth were bared now, white teeth a deadly length. Her rumbling growl turned back to the man in question as Weiss cowered behind her. "I'm asking you nicely, stand down, Robo…I don't want any trouble."

"Seems to me your little girlie there's looking for a fight." Robo said with a growl of his own.

"Weiss!" Blake noticed that she'd drawn her weapon, and in an attempt to sooth her, she flung an arm around her. "Stay near me." Golden eyes burned deadly at the wolf as she said this. "Stay near me, and don't act out..."

"She isn't worth your time, Blake." The man said with a dirty grin. "You know that just as well as I do, protecting a Schnee, it's rubbish. You're one of us. You belong with your own kind. A headstrong woman like you would make some real good around here…keep the lowlife's in place."

"You talk a big game for a man who can't even keep his own territory protected." Blake told him quietly. "All that posturing doesn't do you any good."

"You know, the second you want to settle down, you know where my bed roll is." He offered with an upraised eyebrow. "It isn't posturing when you rub yourself on anything and everything. If you're looking for a mate, babe, look no further."

Blake lunged, fists grabbing at him and forcing him to the ground. She was practically foaming at the mouth, as she bit into his neck with ferocity, spitting blood as he yelped. "Touch what's mine again, Robo, and I'll fucking castrate you. Stay out of my territory, I'll keep Weiss out of yours." Blake snarled one last time before leaving his form where it lay, red drenching the white snow below as he winced. It wasn't a deadly bite, but it hurt all the same.

"Come on, Weiss." Mindless in her fury, she grabbed Weiss and flung her over her shoulder, carrying the indignant heiress as she squawked in terror to be put down all the while.


	6. Chapter 6

She shouldn't have done that...bearing her teeth in such a manner...not in front of Weiss.

But, she couldn't help it. She had to act. She did act. And she scared Weiss in the process.

Blake took her to the outreaches of the camp, setting her down. Watching as Weiss fell into the snow, backing away in stiffening fright. "Weiss?" Blake's voice was normal now, but as she lifted the back of her hand to her mouth, she realized her lips still had blood on them. Her teeth were probably stained in that terrible red color. "Weiss, I'm sorry…I didn't want it to go that far."

"Stay away from me!"

"I can't do that." Blake got down in the snow.

"Y-you bit him." Weiss couldn't even fathom that. "Blake, you bit him. YOU. BIT. HIM." She cried in hysterics.

"I know." Blake sighed, edging closer as Weiss flailed wildly with her sword, the sharp point grazing along Blake's chest. She grunted in pain as she wrestled the blade away with her bare hand. Then she pulled Weiss closer, ignoring the pain in her side when her Aura activated around the shallow slice that resulted. "I'm sorry." She wheezed as she swallowed back a curse. She probably deserved that, but it still hurt. "I didn't want you to see…I didn't want to do it…"

"Let me go."

"No."

"Let me go!" Weiss screeched, the tip of her blade digging into Blake yet again.

Blake held tighter. Half out of searing pain as red dust flooded the puncture, and half out of stubbornness. Getting a better grip on the blade, she flung the weapon side. "I'm not letting you go!" Blake shouted over her, her voice cracking. "I'm not…I'm not going to do that until you calm down." Weiss dissolved into a fit of sobs, and Blake sighed as Weiss stopped struggling, her own tears starting to stream down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Weiss…I'm so, so, sorry."

Blake didn't know how much time passed, but the taste in her mouth began to fade, and her own tears soon dried up as Weiss began to quiet. Still shivering, still terrified. A terror she caused. She took her winter cloak and flung it over the small form of the heiress. Curling around her as she tried in vain attempt to soothe her. "Weiss, I would never hurt you." She murmured softly. "I would never do anything to hurt you, I promise."

Weiss tensed up, and Blake froze. "How can I believe that?"

She sounded as if she desperately wanted to believe. And Blake prayed, her ears weren't deceiving her. "You're my kin, Weiss…like family...I'd never hurt my family."

"You nearly ripped his throat out."

"Would it have been any different if you would have had to go at him with your sword?" Blake asked carefully.

It was only then, when blue eyes opened, that Weiss saw the damage she'd caused. All surface injuries or shallow punctures, but Blake was colored red. It wasn't the wolf's blood, it was Blake's. Weiss couldn't remember doing it. Couldn't remember actually cutting into Blake at all, even when she numbly felt resistance against her blade more than once. "D-did I…"

"It's my fault." Blake said. "I scared you, Weiss. It's okay. It's my fault."

"You're injured."

"I'm fine."

"Are you?"

Blake hugged her more firmly. "This place does things to me…reminds me of what I am…everything I try not to be. I did what my instincts told me to do. I…" Blake sighed. "I wish I had a better thing to say, but I don't."

Weiss pulled away, and Blake let her. "I'm going to get something to eat." Weiss replied, her eyes averting. She couldn't stand to look at her.

They never spoke of that moment…not as the hours passed, or when night fell. Blake had brought Weiss to the tent, but the woman hesitated. Standing still, and Blake knew, somewhere deep down, Weiss was trying to find the faith to trust her. Sleep wasn't restful, and work wasn't enough of a distraction anymore. Blake kept her promise. She didn't re-mark Weiss, but that meant her golden eyes followed the girl everywhere.

Even outside of the base camp, and beyond just the normal glance to the side.

* * *

Ozpin, ever the observer, sipped from his mug and watched the events with detached study.

It persisted for days, and finally it became uncomfortable for him to do so. He'd heard of the fight, of what Blake had done, and he'd wisely stayed out of it. Faunus matters were beyond his own perception. Besides, it wasn't worth his time to worry about such a small battle over territory. He thought to himself, however, that Weiss was not so fortunate. She hadn't shared Ozpin's education, and so, her understanding of Faunus behavior was actually quite limited.

He decided another lesson, of a different sort, was in order.

"It's clear to me, who you should be leaving the delegations to." Ozpin told Weiss. "The question is, do you?"

"I've found a proper foreman, yes."

"Beyond that." Ozpin replied. "They'll need someone to answer to. Someone able to clarify any disputes."

"A peacekeeper…"

"Hmm, well in a manner of speaking. Rather, I meant an authority." Ozpin corrected. "Let me ask you this. If you were to find yourself in a spot of trouble, who do you think you would be most afraid to plead your case to? Glynda Goodwitch, or myself?"

"Well, you are the headmaster." Weiss said, a bit put off by the question.

"So, when you saw fit to turn the lunchroom into an arena?" Ozpin inquired. "It was me that you feared, and not the combat instructor?"

"Well, if you're going to put it that way…" Weiss amended her statement. "She's stricter than you are. Quicker to anger too."

"A little bit of healthy fear is a good thing…"

"I don't want these people to be afraid of me."

A difficult balancing act, I agree. You see, it's a matter of constructing the right sort of mentality. Take this as social engineering one-o-one." Ozpin said thoughtfully. "You are in a position that requires a delicate hand. However, communities at large are quite indelicate by comparison."

"How do you mean?"

"Hmm, well, take students at Beacon for example." Ozpin theorized. "As individuals, most of you act according to what's expected. Use yourself as the test subject in question. More or less, you do attempt to adhere to the rules. Correct?"

"Well…" Weiss said a bit nervously. "I try…"

Ozpin nodded. "However, whenever you are provoked with the right sort of peer pressure, this no longer holds true. Case in point, food fights erupt, and suddenly there's a hole in the ceiling." He sipped from his mug again. "I'm able to chuckle my way through such events, because Glynda instills fear. Due to her intimidating presence, I'm able to act as Beacon's kinder, gentler hand. If I had to undertake the role of the primary disciplinarian, then, that would not be the case."

"Yes, well, please don't take this as a slight to her. Although, she did look ready to murder us."

"As intended." Ozpin laughed once more. "You need to understand, you are attempting to seem favorable to these people. Just as I attempt to seem favorable to students, and to the people of Vale. Glynda acted within the parameters I expected of her. To intimidate and remind you of your place as students. My calling her away was also part of the game." He let his good humor shine with his next admittance. "It helped, of course, that you truly did manage to aggravate her."

"Why do I get the feeling my team is on the back end of a run-on joke?"

Ozpin grinned, but didn't answer. "Glynda holds just the right personality to suit my goals. She understands this, and on some level, you students understand too. In the backs of your minds, you know. Getting on the wrong side of her, means possibly getting on the wrong side of me. No one wants that." Ozpin went on to say. "Because, after all, I'm the nice one. Provoking my ire would be quite the task…and lastly, as you said, I _am_ the headmaster."

Weiss crinkled her nose, giving him something of a look. "That's the most convoluted game of good cop, bad cop, I've ever heard."

"Ah, but effective."

"…I suppose."

"You simply need to find your own disciplinarian. Someone willing to be, as you put it, 'the bad cop' in this arrangement. While it's true you maintain the final authority, who will harbor that fear? Who will perpetuate, control, and regulate it properly? Who will make sure to do so with fairness? Who will be able to do this all, without tarnishing your name, or theirs? This, Weiss, is what you must decide."

"If you were to make a recommendation?"

Ozpin looked to Weiss and gingerly set his mug down before facing her properly. He considered not saying a word about the topic, but, he decided that a little bit more coddling would do Weiss some good. He truly couldn't fault her. Wilson had never been the sort of man to think this sort of thing through. When it came to Faunus, he paid no mind. Ozpin couldn't possibly expect Weiss to be acclimated to the world that surrounded her.

"If I were you, Weiss, and mind you, this is just me personally…I would try to dig deeper." He removed his glasses then, wisdom in his eyes as he folded them and placed them in his pocket. "I know that seeing an argument upset you. However, Faunus have a very complex and profound social structure. One that is perhaps more crude, but no less varied as that of a socialite. There are unspoken rules, implied platitudes. Actions that must be taken, because decorum demands it."

Weiss seemed to consider this, but she shook her head. "I don't know if I'd make the correlation."

"I doubt you can intuitively grasp the enormity of Faunus social structure. It would be like asking a commoner to attend your family's formal ball." Ozpin admitted. "Surely, as a young woman raised in an equally inhospitably environment, you can see how it might be similar."

"You want me to talk with Blake."

Ozpin nodded one last time. "I want you to dig into their culture. Submerse yourself in it. Learn. Find the human social equivalent. Wrestle with the topics you find uncomfortable. Ask yourself, is it something you would approve of the human equivalent? If the answer is no, then that's your personal morality speaking. If the answer is yes, you've found a racial bias. Knowing that bias is the first step in overcoming it. Or, at the very least, learning to moderate your emotional response to it...give it a try, see what you can do."

* * *

 **AYangThang:** A short chapter, I know. The scenes had to be made, but they were eating into the bulk of the chapter I wanted to post for Monday. I decided I'd separate these two scenes and give them to you early, so that Monday you could have a proper chapter that didn't include Ozpin prattling for almost half of it.


	7. Chapter 7

Things had been strange between them ever since the day that Weiss saw the truly dominate side of Blake. It wasn't just the bite, or the fighting. Although those were two perfectly good reasons to make some sort of distance. They weren't the only ones. It was something that Blake said, too. And it wasn't just the words, it was the way she said it.

There was a possessive note in the undercurrent that didn't make sense. It was as if, on some level, Blake hadn't just been protecting her. She had been doing something else entirely. She seemed, well, frankly, like a jealous girlfriend.

Though, Weiss could only assume that. She couldn't find the words to ask, and Blake hadn't seemed keen on saying. However, those golden eyes always tracking her also bothered Weiss. There was a very fine line between what she would assume Blake was doing. The tension between them, nervous and uneasy, was felt not only between them, but among their friends who had lingered behind.

"This is completely stupid." Coco said, as she leaned against one of the domiciles, watching Blake as the Faunus watched Weiss.

"Well, I wouldn't say it's stupid, exactly." Velvet replied. "I'll give Blake an A for effort."

"E for execution…" Fox said from his place on Velvet's other side. "This is getting painful to watch."

"Not only for us either, I'll bet." Coco said while absentmindedly leaning over to pull a cigarette out of Fox's mouth. "Light that thing, you'll be sleeping in the snow." The threat was offhanded at best, but her eyes were still on Blake. Or rather, on the snarling match ensuing between her and a rather large bear Faunus. "She's got it bad, no two ways about it." They watched the large man back down, and for seemingly good measure Blake gave a warning growl to everyone surrounding her before storming off.

Fox just chuckled. "Seems like Blake could use some kitty pot."

"What she needs is an intervention, before she does something stupid." Velvet said with a shake of her head. "I'll be right back, my kin needs me."

Velvet knew Blake very well. The dark haired woman would make a powerful mate. She was headstrong and bold when it mattered. Truth be told, if Velvet wasn't already interested and deeply invested in Coco and Fox, she would have attempted to gain the alpha's attention. Then again, that hadn't stopped her from asking if they had any interest in the cat Faunus. Her mates had laughed at her silliness at the time, but Velvet knew the truth.

Golden eyes were already on the prowl. Blake had a possible mate in her sights. She was just too afraid to say anything about it.

Velvet was playing a difficult game, and she knew this as she approached Weiss. True to form, Blake wasn't far away, and golden eyes zeroed in on Velvet. Velvet returned her gaze, not letting her shoulders sink in from their squared position. _"Easy Blake, you don't want to threaten me. I'd never hurt Weiss, you know that."_ She took a breath, finishing the distance between herself and Weiss. "Still working on those crystals, huh?"

"I needed a break from paperwork." Weiss admitted. "Is everything alright? You don't usually wander around on your own."

"I don't usually wander away from them because they're my mates. It goes against my nature…which, I suppose, is why I'm here." Velvet was sure Blake could hear them, and so she knew she had to choose her next words very carefully. "I was wondering if you might do something for me. In a show of solidarity for the courtship of my mates, and myself."

"My father's giving you trouble again, isn't he?" Weiss asked.

Velvet nodded. It was true, even though that wasn't the true reason for the armband Velvet presented. "Well, you see, when Faunus make friends…allies, I suppose you could say…people they will deal with early and often, they hand that Faunus one of these…" She pulled the thin, intricately woven armband out. "This is like a friendship bracelet. Since you and Coco are going to be business partners, I was wondering if you might be willing to wear it?"

Weiss just laughed at the seemingly innocent question. It was cute, and in her eyes, slightly childish, but Velvet was always such a gentle spirit. Not entirely unlike Ruby in that way. "I doubt wearing this will get my father to stop picking arguments with Coco's family…but if Coco believes it will help, then I'll be glad to."

And, like a bull in a china shop, as Velvet expected it would, that set Blake off. "Velvet…what the actual fuck?"

Weiss turned to Blake's towering form, that possessive gleam was in her eyes again. "Blake?"

"Don't you put that thing on." Blake growled, before turning to her friend. "Velvet, what in the hell are you thinking?"

Velvet stood her ground, her voice that of a mediator. "I'm going to help you, Blake. I'm going to help you look after her."

A low rumble began in Blake's chest, and not the friendly sort either. "The fuck you are."

"Blake, the Faunus around here are on a low boil, and so are you." Velvet said softly, her posture as relaxed as she could make it. Blake was defensive…she could deal with defensive. "Let me band her, and I promise, Coco, Fox, and I will keep her safe."

"I'm not on a low boil, I'm…" Blake bit back her snarl and swallowed.

"Fighting your instincts." Velvet finished for her. "Come on." She said gently. She grabbed Blake in one hand, and Weiss in the other, half pulling them away before they could make a scene. "The two of you need to sort this out."

"There's nothing to sort." Weiss said, though the aversion of her eyes indicated the boldfaced lie even before her scent did.

Velvet couldn't let this go on. She cared about her juniors too much. Team RWBY had always been good to her. "We all know that's not true, and it needs to stop. I know you don't know this, but you're physically hurting her, Weiss. Faunus have different sensory systems than humans, and what the two of you are doing is painful for her."

"Velvet." Blake warned. "Shut up."

"Is this true, Blake?" Weiss asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about Weiss." Blake groused. "It's my fault."

Weiss frowned, hands falling onto her hips. "You still should have told me. I don't even know what's going on."

"I'll explain that in a moment…" Velvet replied. "For now, tie this onto your arm, please. Blake, let me mark yours."

"Velvet, I'm asking you, as a friend…stay out of this."

"No, Blake, not this time." Velvet sighed with a shake of her head. "Shirt sleeve up, now."

"Velvet…"

"Now, Blake." Velvet pressed. "I'm not going to ask again."

Already humiliated, Blake did as she was told. Velvet ran her fingertips along the fabric, properly marking it. Then she turned and did the same to the band on Weiss. "There, now Blake doesn't have to snarl at everything that moves…so long as you stay near one of us, and don't go wandering off."

"She had to snarl before?" Weiss shot another icy glance at Blake.

"Actually, yes, she did." Velvet sighed then. "Weiss, you need to understand, for a Faunus, our nose is our livelihood. It keeps us safe and out of trouble. You don't have the same sense of smell we do, and when you go wandering into trouble unknowingly, Blake has to protect you." She forgot just how poorly equipped Blake was to deal with these sorts of situations. She's been fighting herself for a long time. "The Faunus around here won't be kind to humans. That's why I don't leave Coco and Fox by themselves. They can't smell what I can. The threats are in the air everywhere."

"How is that hurting Blake?" Weiss asked with concern.

"I'm going to make this as elementary level as possible." Velvet said slowly. "We separate things into two categories. Something that's ours, and something that isn't. This extends to people. Blake for example is my friend. She's mine in that capacity. It will hurt me, to see her getting hurt. My heartrate will raise, my instincts to act will kick in. Blake has claimed you as kin, as family…the more people threaten you, the more she will react. It's hardwired into our brains. Right now, Blake is losing her mind because you aren't marked for protection. The Faunus around her keep threatening you at every turn."

"But, this band will stop that, right?"

"In a manner of speaking." Velvet nodded. "This band smells like me. If any Faunus around here start any trouble, they'll be on the receiving end of Coco and Fox. I'll let them know, and those two have a bad temper. Between the four of us, Blake included, we should be able to keep the peace."

"You do what you want…" Blake sighed, her voice cracking. "I can't take it anymore."

"And that…" Velvet sighed as she watched Blake begin to retreat. "That needs to stop too."

* * *

The next day, they all had to fly back to beacon for orientation. Ozpin assured Weiss they could afford to leave for the weekend without worry. In fact, he wanted her to do so for the last three weeks of vacation so that the miners would get used to seeing her coming and going.

It was just after a long speech and the issuing of near gear that the whole of team RWBY had the chance to settle into their new dorm accommodations. This room was only slightly smaller than the one before, but had a weapons closet built into the floor. They no longer had to utilize the communal locker room if they didn't want to.

It was going to be a lazy day in, or so Weiss thought, before she received the mail for the day. "As if my life wasn't already complicated enough thanks to his meddling…" Weiss sighed.

"Did your dad do something bad again?" Ruby asked.

"I'm fine Ruby." The white haired teen said with a shake of her head. "I'm a little worried, but then again, I am an heiress. This sort of thing is expected to come to fruition."

"What sort of thing, exactly?" Yang asked from her place across the room.

Weiss wordlessly handed over the document, watching as three sets of eyes scrolled over the well-written, formal letter. There wasn't a trace of warmth to it, not like the kind that Yang and Ruby received from their father and uncle. This was cold, letting Weiss know of what was expected of her. Then again, Weiss doubted that any of the girls in front of her would ever receive this sort of letter.

"Uh…taken-in-hand relationship…what's that mean?" Ruby asked, scratching the side of her head.

"It's time to start thinking of my future." Weiss replied, but seeing the tiny tilt of confusion in Ruby's features, she went for blunt honesty. "It means, Ruby, that my father wants me to get married to a powerful man. Someone who will eventually run the SDC. It's a fairly average thing for a father to expect of his daughter. Typical, actually. I'll have to write him back in short order and detail my own expectations."

"Huh?" Ruby asked.

"In other words, he wants her to get married to a jerk." Blake clarified with annoyance in her tone. "Someone who expects her to submit to everything he tells her to do."

"It's not usually that bad." Weiss defended. "I mean, yes, normally wives are quiet and submissive. We _are_ socialites. We're raised a very particular way."

"A very, very bigoted way." Blake chided. "And this letter implies you can't run the company on your own. That's just deranged…and sexist!"

"You're looking it from a commoner's perspective." Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "The thing is, taken-in-hand relationships in this situation are normally mutual. The woman in question wants the man to have the upper hand at all times."

"I call bullshit." Yang smirked, but beneath that, there was a thread of real worry in her tone.

"No, it's true. You see, that type of heiress is hardly interested in complicated economics and board room squabbles." She shook her head. "Normally, women of those types of relationships live for social gatherings and mothering children. It might sound easy, but I'm not talking about raising giggling little debutants. I'm talking about raising children such as myself. In cases like mine, there's combat training and complicated rhetoric. It's just a different world."

"A stupid one." Blake groused.

"Yeah, um, I'm going to side with Blake on this one." Ruby murmured, still trying to grasp the concept. "It doesn't sound like any fun. I know I wouldn't be happy living like that."

"Mm." Weiss nodded as she took the letter back, and folded it up. She set in neatly on the desk, a reminder to reply back quickly. "I don't agree with it myself, but for some, it really is the best way to live." Weiss replied, though as she pulled the paper back, she still loathed the mere idea of it. "My father's just misguided in thinking that this is what I want. It's a manor inconvenience, that's all."

"He wants you marry Cardin Winchester." Blake shot back, her tone full of acid. "I don't care what the hell you were raised to be. Cardin is a racist, sexist, immoral pig, who can't even stand his ground against an Ursa." Molten gold flicked to Ruby. "He's not even fit as a hunter, let alone a husband."

"Whoa…eh, Blakey, cool down a bit there…" Yang said, trying to ease the raw look in golden eyes. "Weiss never said she was going to do it."

"No, Yang, I'm being serious." Blake attested. "Trust me, I'm a firm believer of careful and loving dominance in relationships. As a Faunus, having a more dominant lover paired with a slightly submissive one can be a comfort…it's ingrained into our baser instincts...but _Cardin Winchester?_ " She nearly growled his name. Looking over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed on her team's leader. "Ruby's more of a dominant force of power than he is."

Silver eyes blinked. "I am?"

"In our first year, you beheaded a fully grown nevermore." Blake told the girl. "Cardin nearly pissed himself over an Ursa, need I say more?"

"I'm not disagreeing with you, I just don't understand what's got you so riled up." Yang put her arms on Blake's shoulders. "Weiss isn't a pushover. We all know there's no possible way she's going to actually go along with this…so there's no reason to get upset…not yet anyway…"

"You don't understand…" Blake said, eyes flickering round to gaze at her teammates. She needed an excuse, and she needed it quick. "This rooms claustrophobic. I need some air…I'll…I'll be back later." They let her go, watching as Blake slowly, but very angrily slipped out the door, her ears pinned back in absolute fury.

"Soo…" Yang rolled on the balls of her feet. Torn with chasing after Blake, or giving her a little time alone. "Uh, that was a thing…I think I'll-"

"Yang, no." Ruby shook her head at her sister. She didn't understand what just happened either, but she had a pretty good feeling following after Blake would make more problems than it solved. "She said she'd come back, and she doesn't break those kinds of promises anymore." Instead, Ruby was much more worried about the letter. "Weiss, you're not really going to get married to Cardin, are you?"

"Of course not, Ruby." Weiss said with a shake of her head. "There's a protocol for these sorts of things. I'll simply tell my father that Cardin's unsuitable, and he'll have to find someone else."

"Uh, will he really go along with that?" Yang sounded skeptical, and looked it too.

"This is all part of the process." Weiss shrugged. "These talks start this early because it can take some time. It's not like I've written home saying that there's a well-to-do young man that I'm interested in…he's guessing in the dark, and honestly, I expected this a lot sooner."

"You can just do that…start telling your father off like that?" Yang asked wide eyed and interested.

"What part of mutual don't you understand?" Weiss asked her. "My father isn't exactly like your own, Yang, but he's not completely heartless. He's just strict, and blindly devoted to his own set of morals. Besides, even if he were that crude, he'd want me and my spouse to be happily married. If not, it could lead to a scandal, or maybe even adultery. Only a happy marriage could truly benefit the SDC, and my father knows this."

Weiss gathered her things, and walked to the door. "I'm going to have a proper word with Blake alone. You two, stay here and keep out of trouble."

The sisters sent each other questioning glances, but both of them were lost as the door clicked shut in front of them.

* * *

Unbeknownst to anyone in team RWBY or JNPR, Weiss and Blake were closer than they appeared. Not exactly friends, not exactly lovers, but a strange middle ground that had silenced the two teenagers for long enough. They had no words for the strange sort of tension between them.

For the Faunus, it started simply enough. Blake could trace it back to her first year at Beacon. The sisters pushed for them to get along and stop fighting. A few extra shared study sessions here and there solved that problem. Their effort paid off, and they began to understand each other more deeply. It was a slow, very gradual thing.

Now, thanks to their hellhole of a summer, that depth was frightening and indistinguishable. It begged the question; was it merely friendship with some minor sexual attraction, or something more? Blake wasn't sure, but some part of her, deep down, hated the idea that Weiss might leave her side.

That feeling, was mutual for Weiss, too.

When Weiss made it up to the roof, she found Blake standing there. Arms wrapped around herself as her eyes lingered downcast, watching the people below. They did it together often enough, speculating on the daily lives of the strangers passing by. What lives did they lead? What mischief did their teams get into? Simple, inane conversation that would never really matter.

They'd both said it before, they valued that idle time the most.

"Blake?"

"How can you be so blasé about this?"

"Trust me," Weiss murmured. "I'm not." With slow, measured steps, she came to stand by Blake's side. "It's just that, I've always known that my place is in Atlas."

"You were going to change the world, Weiss." Blake said, turning to her friend and…well, she wasn't sure what else to call her. "You were going to become a huntress, and for what? To sit in some stuffy office all day? Better yet, become a baby maker? The Weiss Schnee I know doesn't take that kind of crap from anyone…not even her own father."

"You know I would never stand for that." Weiss shot back, but there was no rage in her tone. Just sadness, and something else.

"Do I?" Blake asked.

"Blake, I promise you, I'm going to clean up my father's company…and that when I do, I'll make the company a better place for everyone. I'll dirty my own hands, clean up those Faunus camps. I'll make them sustainable mining communities able to stand on their own two feet. I don't know how yet, but I'll make them a place that Faunus and humans want to live and work. It'll be a place of advancement and ingenuity, I'll stake my life on that."

"I want to believe that..."

"Then why are you breaking down on me?"

"I'm _not_ breaking down…I just-" Blake cut herself off. "I don't want you to get married off to anyone."

"But, why not?"

"I don't _know_ why!" It made her chest feel tight, like the world around her was spinning. It was an unpleasant feeling, and she wasn't lying about the room feeling claustrophobic. Now, not even the fresh air was helping. Eyes dilated, and ears flattened back, Blake swallowed hard. "Just thinking about it makes me angry…" She raised a quaking fist to her lips, letting out a harsh breath. "I've never been this angry before…it's irrational…and it makes no sense, but there it is…"

And, though Blake didn't want to admit it, she had wanted to deck Yang back there. The blonde's calm demeanor was not what Blake had been hoping for. In the long run, that confused her too.

"Well, to be fair, I think most people would find Cardin Winchester offensive." Weiss said thoughtfully. "I'm not going to rush into anything with anyone."

"You can't do that." Blake bit down on the inside of her cheek. "That's not how this is supposed to go. That's not what we planned on. You _can't_ get married." Her every instinct was telling her, roaring at her, to keep Weiss at her side. To keep the team, the group, the family, together. To do anything it took to keep Weiss there. Blake didn't understand it, couldn't rationalize the way it made her feel.

One thing was for sure though, she wouldn't let Cardin anywhere near Weiss. So long as Weiss wanted nothing to do with him, she would force him to stay away. This truth made her bite down on her lip harder. So hard in fact, she drew blood.

"Blake?"

"I'm fine…I'm fine…" Her words were raspy.

"You're bleeding." Weiss commented coolly, a dry annoyance in her voice. "You are not fine." With the pad of her thumb, she smeared away the blood. "And this…Blake…this is not okay. What in the heck is going on?"

"I told you, I don't know!" She shouted, her voice reaching a shrilled, angry pitch. Her voice wavered before melting away entirely. Ramrod straight, and back arched, a shiver ran down her spine, making her blood run cold. She wasn't even thinking clearly when she lunged forwards, yanking Weiss into an embrace that would have put Yang to shame. "I want it to go away and it won't."

"…I don't think it's going to…"

"It _has_ to."

"We've danced around this long enough." Weiss pushed away with a sigh. "Firstly, I'm a lesbian. My father would have to locate a woman if he even stood a chance of convincing me to get married. Secondly, I'm not going to agree to any nuptials until after graduation. I'm not going anywhere. Thirdly, if you're so bloody offended by everything and everyone, why can't you just tell me? Why do you have to push me away, and then keep everyone else away simultaneously?"

"This won't work." Blake said, gesturing to the two of them. "I've know that from the start."

"So if you can't have me, neither can anyone else?" Weiss asked. "Blake, you've been acting like a possessive girlfriend for over a month. I get that you're trying to protect me, but you're worrying me…this…" Weiss shook her head. "This is not the Blake Belladonna that I know."

"Maybe you don't know the real me…"

"Would you stop?" Weiss shot back. "You can be so absolutely infuriating, do you know that?"

"Right back at you." Blake finally lost it. "You don't understand anything. You're still such a little brat sometimes."

Weiss just plastered the finest smirk on her face that she could muster. "Just shut up and kiss me..."

The command came as a surprise, but deep down, it's what Blake had wanted to do from the start.

* * *

 **AYangThang:** Annnd the ship is finally starting to sail...but, it's not going to be easy for them...not even in the slightest.


	8. Chapter 8

**AYangThang:** If you're the type of person who likes supplemental music to go with their reading, might I recommend you play "The Tower" sung by Vienna Teng on repeat while reading this. It was the song that I had playing over and over while working on this chapter. You can find the song on YouTube, Spotify, and likely other platforms I'm sure.

* * *

Those soft petal-like lips parting under that gentle insistence was too much, and yet so little. Promises of deeper meanings were ash to the both of them. This…this had to be impossible. It had led nowhere fast. It wasn't logical, and the amazing high was like a drug. It couldn't last. It wouldn't last. There was no way for it to work.

Doubt was the first real thing that sunk in as they sat on that roof, wordlessly basking in the moments that trickled on by. It was just like old times, except that it wasn't. Weiss was tucked into her lap. The shorter woman dwarfed by Blake's taller stature and long limbs. Those same limbs held her close now. Thumbs playing with dainty hands. Tight circles weaving thoughts that Blake needed to voice.

"I want to mark you," Blake said as she buried her face from view.

Weiss was still defensive about the idea. "I thought I told you no. I don't want you to chase everyone away from me."

"Not that kind of mark." Blake held tighter, her cheeks flaring in embarrassment. "I want to do it the right way…not like before." She bit the inside of her cheek. "Weiss, if I…gave you…I mean….if I gave you an armband that I made, would you wear it?"

"Would that be the right way?" Weiss asked.

Blake nodded wordlessly, curling further inward. "I'm sorry." She murmured. "I'm sorry, Weiss…I didn't mean to take advantage of you before like that…I would never have done it if I thought it would hurt you. I just wanted to help, I swear."

"What are you even doing right now?" Weiss asked, feeling Blake's nose running along the back of her neck. It was as if Blake was nuzzling her, small puffs of air ghosting along. It was hot on her neck, sending a chill down her spine.

"Trying to find you," Blake said again, her voice muffled.

"Find me?"

Blake nodded, her lips trailing briefly along tender flesh. She didn't miss the way Weiss tensed at the touch. "I smell Yang, and Ruby…the people you were standing next to in the auditorium…and under all of that, is you."

"If I smell that bad, I'm going to go take a shower."

"No."

"Blake."

"It doesn't wash off," Blake said, taking one last deep breath. She settled back down to the best of her awkward ability. "You're scent isn't just body odor. Actually, that's a pretty small part of what it is. I can't explain it well, but it's unique. Everyone has a different one. Some mingle, some don't…but I just…" Blake sighed, looking away in shame. When she tried to explain it, the concept sounded horrible even to her own ears. "Damn it. I'm sure it probably does seem disgusting when you really think about it. I promise, it's not like that to me."

"Well, it doesn't sound particularly pleasant…" Weiss admitted with a bit of confusion in her tone.

"Fuck, what the hell am I thinking?" It was a breath, a whisper, nothing more than that. "What are we even doing? What's the damn point?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No, Weiss, it's not." Blake pulled away, shaking her head as she bit back a curse. "This…" Blake let out a bitter laugh. "Weiss, I'm a Faunus. I act that way, and it scares you. You try not to show it, but it does." It wouldn't work. Friendship was like walking on broken glass. How could a relationship even begin to hold any ground? "I can't compromise my instincts like that. I can't fit into the little human mold forever…not with the person I'm dating."

"Because you've been completely upfront about each and every little detail that surrounds your life." Weiss chided sarcastically. "I hate to break this to you, but when you start randomly acting like an animal, when you've literally never done any of that before, it's going to scare people."

"I know." Blake snapped, instantly regretting it. "I…know…that…" Gritting her teeth, she sighed. "It's one of the first lessons you learn when you get your claws stuck in fabric for the first time. Or you hiss, or make any other weird sound." Her ears flattened back at the thought. "And god-for-fucking-bid that you chase something that moves, because the next thing you know, you're on the ass end of a joke…and it's not funny."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You're still holding onto that? Yang didn't mean to use the laser pointer to upset you."

"When it comes to our friends, no one ever does, Weiss."

"Well, I would certainly hope not."

"That's the problem." Blake sighed. "If I'm not a freak or a monster, I'm the cute confused kitten with a bow on her head. I'm the harmless little kitty-kitty, or I'm the rabid feline. I'm not just me…I'm never, just me." Yes, she was angry about it and bitter, she didn't want the reminder. "People don't always do it out of spite, but that doesn't make it hurt any less…"

"Well, it isn't as if you've been very helpful in that regard." Weiss pressed back again. "Blake, you told me not ten minutes ago that I don't even know you."

"You don't."

"Well, don't you think I should?"

Blake could only shrug. "I do human things because that's what you understand. That's what you're used to. As friends, that comfortable little barrier, and that's fine…but…mating?" Blake lifted her eyebrow. "That's not a human term. Scent marking. Disputes over territory. Social ranking. Dominance and claiming…all of those things are inherently inhuman. They don't apply to you, but they would if you started to date me. Weiss, you're walking into a mine field."

"And you aren't?" Weiss retorted. "I'm a Schnee."

"I'm aware…"

"Are you?" Weiss was nose to nose with Blake in an instant. "Do you really think you have a firm understanding of my family? You were in the White Fang, how much can you truly know? The only window into my life that you've ever had, comes from some measure of idiocy or another. My father. The leader of the White Fang. The government. They're brilliant yet strangely ignorant, sadistic, fools. All of them."

"I know enough to have a fairly good idea, let me put it that way…"

"Press conferences, social media, labor camps, and corporate tourism do not do my bloodline justice." Weiss huffed as she crossed her arms. "You don't know anything about my extended relatives. We don't talk about it, why would we? You're right…it's a messy, complicated situation…but if that stops you, I must not be that important."

"Don't put words in my mouth, Weiss."

"Then don't proceed to put them in my head, Blake."

"Do you see this…we're already at each other's throats."

"Well, so long as you don't bite mine, I think we'll be just fine."

"That's a low blow…"

"Then don't make me aim lower because I will," Weiss said sadly. "Here's the ultimatum, either step up or stand down. It's that simple."

"It really isn't…"

"It has to be!" Weiss shouted back. "I'm a Schnee, you aren't. I'm a human, you aren't. I have a family and a legacy to uphold. You don't. I have a future I have to provide for. I have employees who need me, and I have more problems than I know what to solve. On top of all of that, I now have a formalized letter I must reply to. Now, I have two choices…and only two choices…I can either tell my father I've found my own suitor, or, I can continue to negotiate with him."

"Okay…" Blake sighed, biting down her own cowardice. She was scared, but the chips were down now. It was all in, the stakes were high. "Okay…so we're doing this."

"Are we?" Weiss asked. "Do you want a relationship with me?"

Blake nodded slowly. "Yeah, Weiss, I do...but I need some time. I need to make you a band, and there's a few things I have to do before I can get into this with a good conscience."

"Then take some time." Weiss said easily enough, leaning back into Blake's lap again. "I've waited this long, a little while longer won't hurt."

* * *

It took about a week for Blake to wrap her head around what she was really doing. Weiss had been distant during that time because Blake asked her to wait. She needed time to think, time to plan, and time to prepare.

All Faunus made armbands. It was one of the first skills a child was taught when they were old enough to make friends. She still had a bunch of armbands from her days in the White Fang. Thinking about what she was really doing brought her to sift through them. The scents were faded now, old and distant. Each one was a memory, each band a sign of loyalty that she'd broken when she left. Those were not easy vows to break. Some of her comrades were dead, others were just gone, and some were still fighting for the cause…blindly devoted to Adam.

Each smell was distantly tangible, a tie to the friends, family, and the mate she once had.

She no longer had a right to wear any of these bands, and yet, she couldn't bring herself to part with them. Their diverse meanings were so deep to her. She needed the time to reflect, especially on one band particularly. She took a match to it, watching the crimson red, and blue band turn to ash under the harsh flame. The next thing she took out was a necklace, woven in the same patterns, caressing the material between her fingers. It was the next to meet the wrath of a match, setting it alight as tears fell from her eyes.

Her past with Adam abandoned completely in the simple act. His scent along with it. Gone. She knew she would do it one day, but the finality choked her up. She blew the ashes away until there was nothing left. The two mementoes from her relationship with him were now out of her life forever. Doing that, she could move on properly.

"These are the rest," Blake said slowly, closing the box and handing them to Velvet. "I'm entrusting these to you, protect them."

"Are you sure about this?" Velvet asked.

"Positive," Blake said slowly. "There's too many promises I've made in my life that I've turned my back on, Velvet. That box holds them all. For some of them, that's all that's left. If those bands don't exist, what proof do I have that I even lived that life?"

"I can't say." Velvet wondered about that, arms crossed as she looked over the main campus of Beacon. "I've never burned a single band given to me…"

"Hopefully, you'll never have to." Blake forced out a shaky breath. "One day, things will be different. One day, I'll be able to live up to all of the things I said I would do. When I do, I'll be able to burn the rest of them properly. Then it'll all be over for good...but, I want you to keep them until that time."

"That's a nice dream, but, what will you do now?"

"I'll make a band for Weiss, start courting her properly. Mark my words, one day, I'm going to claim her as my mate." Blake said softly, a conviction carrying the weight in her voice. "We're going to change things…you'll see."

"Do you love her?"

Blake said nothing to this, letting out a huff of air in reply.

"Blake?"

"No, it's deeper than that."

Velvet cocked her head to the side. "I don't understand."

"I wish I could say it was one single thing, but it's not," Blake said. "It's Instinct, in every sense of the word. It's as much love as it is hate, and ignorance as it is an obsession. I won't make excuses for it. Whenever I try to think too deeply on it, I come up blank…but then I look at her, and I think to myself, she'll do. She's enough. It's such an abstract thought process, but it's one I've never felt before."

"I've heard that sometimes happens." Velvet murmured. "I've never met a Faunus who made a choice based on instinct alone though."

"Quite frankly, it's terrifying...feeling that...draw...that pull." Blake replied. "I don't know what it is, but every time I think about letting her go, I can't. The idea that I'll loose her hurts, and pisses me off all at the same time. All that I know is, I know what love feels like, and this…it's not it…this isn't just one single word. This is so much more than love..."

* * *

 **AYangThang:** The up coming week is a wonky update week. I work Cyber Monday, so there won't be any posts for that day. I also work today and tomorrow for 8 hours each as well. So, this is getting updated today, and "I Want a Cub" will be updated tomorrow.

That being said, both chapters are inherently shorter than usual because I just don't have the time to edit like I usually would. Don't worry, we'll be back to the regularly scheduled update routine after Cyber Monday.


	9. Chapter 9

The sound of crinkling paper permeated the room as Weiss bunched up a large wad of it in her hands. She deposited it into the garbage and cleared her throat as she steadied her nerves. Putting pen to paper, she began to write her letter once again.

"This is getting stupid. It's almost nine at night, she's never out this late by herself." Yang ranted, forcing out a breath. "Where in the hell is Blake?"

"I don't know." Ruby chirped. "Maybe try her scroll."

"I did, just now." Yang said, wiggling her scroll to prove her point. "She's not answering, Ruby, and that's just really freaking strange."

After making another mistake in her work, Weiss crupled another piece of paper. "Then she clearly doesn't want to be found, Yang. Let her have her space."

"In case you haven't noticed, it's been a really shitty week." Yang scratched the back of her head worriedly, frowning when her fingers found a tangle. "I'm just a little concerned."

"If you're so restless, take a hunt with JNPR or something." Weiss offered offhandedly, plucking another fine piece of parchment. "Pyrrha's been working Jaune into overtime, go help her with that. He could use someone willing to knock him around. I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Pyrrha's too easy on him."

"Hate to break it to you, princess, but no can do. I've got plenty to do around here keeping an eye on you."

"Well then, here's a hint." Weiss threatened icily. "Don't."

"Come on, Weiss, you have to know something." Yang pressed while hanging lopsided off of her bed. Truth be told, she was feeling aggravated. Blake had been avoiding the dorm room for days now, and her disappearing act had Yang edgy. Weiss was nothing but one big walking human stress magnet, and her father wasn't doing anyone any favors. "You just tell me what's going on, and I promise I'll keep it on the down-low. Ruby will too, right sis?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Ruby asked from her place. "I'm not that big of a blabber mouth." She looked down at Weiss, who was hunched over the desk once more. "She knows I won't say anything I'm not supposed to...right Weiss?"

"Yes Ruby, I know that." Weiss replied levelly. "I just don't know what Blake's doing. I haven't asked, and she hasn't felt the need to tell me. That's it, that's all I know." Weiss retorted, hunched over her desk, busy with her own task at hand. "She would say something if it was overly important."

Since it seemed as if Yang wasn't having any luck prying an answer out of Weiss, Ruby decided to try. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong? Did you two get into a fight?" Ruby asked, knowing that accusation was farfetched, but she didn't have any better clues. "You can tell us if you did, we promise we won't make it worse. We're only trying to help."

"No Ruby." Weiss said distractedly. "We didn't fight, and neither one of us need help, at least night right now. Actually, I can say with absolute certainty that everything is going as it should, for once this summer."

"Something reeks fishy, and I don't know if I like it." Yang sighed, looking up and sharing a look with her little sibling. "I can't be the only one thinking that half of our team is acting wonky."

"The only thing that reeks in here is the gym bag we keep in the closet." Weiss shot back, knowing she would never get her work done at this rate. "If she wants some space, give her some space. Nothing good ever comes from trying to force her to listen to you. Furthermore, I would refrain from calling her wonky. That's even more insulting."

"Okay, fine, I'll lay off. I'm just a little freaked out." Yang said as she gave Weiss a sideways glance. "You two have been acting weird, admit it or not. I needed to make sure you guys weren't about to kill each other."

"We just need some personal time." Composing the perfect letter to her father wasn't an easy thing to do. She had drafted it several times, but none measured up. She wanted to break the news carefully, her decision to be with Blake wasn't going to be well received. She would have to take great care in how she presented the situation. She didn't plan on hiding Blake's heritage, but if she didn't meticulously craft her words, there would be trouble later. "It's best if you don't concern yourselves in these matters."

"Too late. We are…or at least I am." Yang perked up when her scroll buzzed, only to see that it was Nora, and she deflated once more. "Damn it Blake...where are you?"

"I'm sort of worried too, Weiss." Ruby finally said. "You're not studying, and you haven't been bugging me about my homework either."

"I haven't been lecturing you because all of that is supplemental material." Weiss said, gesturing to Ruby's workbook. "If you don't have a firm grasp of it by now, first and second year studying with you has been a complete waste of time. You and I are an entire year ahead in Grimm studies. Honestly, it's science, math, and history that you should be drilling. Even if all of those only account for ten percent of our total yearly grade. I haven't seen you pick up your chemistry book all summer. Study that."

This time, it was Yang's turn to scoff. "Way to dodge the question."

Weiss turned to Yang. "Says the one who should be diving into all of her studies head first." She set down her pen and collected the papers that were in neat stacks. "I don't have time for this, I have a meeting with Ozpin. And I'm not dodging anything, I'm just waiting for things to be settled properly. I refuse to go around spreading rumors that may or may not be entirely true." After gathering her things she headed to the door. "I'm serious, Ruby, start cramming chemistry while you can. Dust composition and the periodic table won't memorize itself."

The sisters shared a look, before Ruby closed her Grimm studies book, and went for one of her much larger tomes. "Well, I still don't like it." Ruby sighed, kicking her feet absentmindedly when she was finally left alone with Yang. "Weiss always tells me everything...this is like the first month of first year all over again."

"Yeah, well Blake's stonewalling me too. I'm sick of it. I know this is a stupid idea, but I'm going to look for her." After all, gawking at the wall didn't yield any answers to her predicament either. "Maybe she'll talk, or at least swear to me that they aren't actually fighting."

* * *

From outside, superior Faunus hearing served Blake well. Even if she wasn't intending on it, she could hear the entire conversation from just outside the window. Blake had listened to the entire ordeal from her spot nestled in the tree near the dorm window. She kept half an ear on Yang's ranting, mostly because Yang was being too loud to avoid it. Ruby was much softer spoken, and thus easier to ignore.

Blake went back to concentrating on the four strips of silk cloth she was intent on weaving together. She couldn't count how many times she'd made a band like this. It must have been hundreds of times by now. Yet, she had never made one for a human. That made things a little more difficult. She doubted Weiss would want to flaunt it like a Faunus might, so something easy to wear would be best. She also had a delicate figure. A thick band would hold more of Blake's scent, but it wouldn't suit the slender woman.

With immense effort, Blake took to her task with great care, feeling slightly guilty that her solitude was worrying the sisters of the team. Thankfully, she knew it wouldn't be too much longer until she was finished.

Leaping from the limb to the window in question, she pushed it open. "You can stop catching fire, Yang, I'm right here..."

* * *

 **AYangThang:** Just a quick shout out in case you haven't seen my profile. I don't have time for very much content posting. It's all hands on deck at work during the month of December, work and family come first for me. Didn't think I'd be swapped onto dayshift, but, then again, anyone working 24 hour sales like I do knows just how finicky the month of December is…those of you in retail, I am so, so sorry for all of the madness coming to you this holiday season, lol.


	10. Chapter 10

**AYangThang:** Happy 2017 everyone. I said this over on "I Want a Cub" but for those of you who might have missed it, new update information on the profile page if you happen to care. If not, on with the fiction. Short chapter today, just because I feel like getting back into the swing of things.

* * *

Blake made her way through the window, closing it behind her. She was hoping that her presence would calm Yang down, but that didn't seem to be the case.

"Blake, damn it…where have you been?"

"Out on the ledge, Yang." Blake deadpanned as she carefully placed away her project. "I told you, I've got some things to take care of, and I'm taking care of them. You don't need to go around badgering Weiss."

"I should be badgering you." Yang frowned, her impulsive attitude getting the better of her. She put her palms upon the wall, trapping Blake between them. "What's really going on? Whose face do I need to bash in?"

"Yours."

"Not kidding, Blake. I'm worried."

"Neither am I, Yang. You don't have to be worried. Now move."

"Nu-uh, nothing doing. You're going to spill, because I don't like all of this weirdness."

"I didn't ask you to like it. I'm telling you to back off." Blake ducked under her friend and partner, the tips of her ears brushing up against Yang's elbow. Ruffling around in her satchel, she grabbed a paper bag. "Ruby, think fast." She said, tossing it to the youngest among them. "Take that to Weiss, and there's something in there for you too."

"Sweets?" Ruby asked cheerfully, her worries about Blake mitigated as soon as she saw the calm, placid look on the woman's face.

"Two strawberry tarts for Weiss, a few chocolate chip cookies for you." Blake then grabbed another bag, all but smacking Yang in the face with it, smirking as Yang fumbled with the sealed box of protein bars that she most favored. "And that's yours, so keep out of mine." Blake warned, guarding her own breakfast bars tooth and nail.

"You…had to take care of the shopping?" Yang guessed wildly, as Ruby headed out to the library, where she was sure Weiss would be. Yang only spared a partial glance before sighing offhandedly. "You can't fool me, Blake. I know those cookies were just a diversion."

"Not hardly." Blake said with an offhanded laugh. "Can't I do something nice for my teammates without it seeming like I have some sort of agenda?"

"Blakey, come on…I know you better than that…"

The Faunus shrugged, relenting the point. She couldn't get out of it, that lilac gaze drifted ever deeper into speculation. That was a place a woman like Yang Xiao Long never belonged, because her mind could take her to some incredibly outlandish assumptions. "I'm well…I'm making something…and while I'm making this…thing…I suppose you could say that I really don't want a bunch of people around. It ruins my concentration."

"Oh..." Yang said rather blandly, not entirely sure she believed it. "What is it, a new mod for Gambol Shroud?"

Blake shook her head. "No."

"So, like, what then?" Yang asked, plopping herself down onto Blake's bed, crossing her legs, and waiting expectantly.

"Something personal, and delicate, Yang…please."

"Like I would ever do anything to hurt you." Yang commented. "I'm just asking for a little trust is all, and you can't blame me when you're sneaking in and out of windows. I'm not trying to be a total pain in the ass, but you got to admit, it kind of looks fishy."

"Not one word. Not to anyone." Blake demanded. "And I'm not going into detail. What you get, is what you get, no complaining."

"Err..."

"I mean it." Blake said seriously. "Do you agree to my terms, or don't you?"

Holding her hands up in surrender, Yang nodded. "I agree, but this had better be good."

"It's a Faunus thing."

Yang waited, but when no other information came, she pressed again. "That's it?"

"That's it." Blake nodded. "And I'd really rather you don't go snooping around where you don't belong…" Blake finally said, knowing if she didn't give Yang at least something, the Blond would keep worrying. A worried Yang would keep pawing at her for information. "Even if I tried to explain it, you'd only understand the textbook logic, and you'd never be able to apply anything I tell you…"

"Oh…" Yang murmured rather befuddled. "Well, why not?"

"Because you don't have my senses." Blake all but sighed. "Yang, I wish I could just give you Faunus senses for just one day. Then maybe you'd be able to understand all of the little things that pass by your notice…since I can't do that, the only thing I can ask you to do is respect my heritage. This is one of those times that if you were a Faunus, you'd know you can't interfere."

"Is it really so bad?"

"It's _not_ bad, Yang." Blake said honestly. "But it does include Weiss, and because of that, I have to ask you to stay out of it until you're told…and you will be, I promise, but all in due time…when there is something to tell…"

Yang just flopped down, her head landing squarely in Blake's lap, ignoring the way Blake's ear twitched in mild agitation for being used as a pillow. "You guys are going to be the death of me, you know that?"

* * *

It was two days later that the band was finished. During lunch, Blake was finally able to meet Weiss in the dorm room alone, without the sisters meddling. Blake was obviously nervous as she invited Weiss to sit on her bed with her, the quiet of the room a tense one at first. Weiss watched as Blake gathered her thoughts.

"Right…sooo…arm band…" Blake trailed off, shaking her head at her own idiocy. It was just Weiss…her teammate…her…girlfriend? It was all so confusing. A faunus would know her emotions and her intent. They would understand the expression on her face as more than just fear, but as excitement as well.

"You don't have to be so nervous about it, do you?" Weiss asked, not realizing that this was going to turn into some sort of ordeal.

"Well, kind of, yeah…I mean…damn it…" She growled to herself, muttering a curse as her ears flattened back. She rubbed her eyes, warding away the tension and began again. This time with a little more calm in her tone, but not much. "Well, you said it best yourself. You're human Weiss…I just don't want to screw anything up…that's all…"

Weiss nodded, more uneasy than she wanted to admit. "Well, maybe if you just…show it to me?"

Blake nodded, but hesitated. What if Weiss didn't like it? That was a terrifying prospect. Blake struggled to find her voice in the torrent of mental hurtles she had to jump through. Exchanging armbands wasn't exactly a complicated ceremony. Once in the White Fang she had been smacked in the face with one, and that was as far as the invitation had ever needed to go.

It was pretty simple, and yet, to some Faunus, it was the most complicated thing they'd ever do. For Blake, she was no acceptation. Her intentions towards Weiss were not exactly pure and platonic. Courtship began here too, at this one step of many. In fact, that was the entire problem.

If anything, she was banding Weiss for the expressed reason of beginning a courtship. It was a leap of blind faith at best. She dare not think the worst…and that blind faith went both ways. Weiss was not so immersed in such a deeply beloved and protected part of Faunus culture. Blake knew she had to handle the situation with utmost care, and so, her tongue tied itself rather ineloquently around her thoughts.

"Alright, then, um…this is it. This is a Faunus armband. Just like the one Velvet gave you." Blake said when she handed Weiss the finished product. "Now, before you put this on, you need to realize, Velvet glossed over it…a lot…these things mean a lot more than just friendship."

"Like what?"

"They can mean a lot of things."

"Give me some examples, Blake. Something for comparison."

"Well, like, promises or loyalty. Families use these, friends, people who want to identify as part of a social group. On a more complicated note, I suppose you could say that Faunus are more likely to band someone before starting courtship process. Then again, you don't exactly _have_ to band someone…especially not a lone human. I mean, you can't smell marked territory anyway, and your family wouldn't follow the same kind of laws that a Faunus might, so really, this band is just because I'm nervous…"

"But why be nervous…I mean, this is what you wanted too, right?"

At the scent of unease, Blake acted pulling Weiss into her lap. Arms wrapping around the slender woman securely. "I want you to be my…my mate…but there are things, Weiss, that make it hard to do. I mean, there's a process that's not exactly unlike a human's own…it's equally long, and a bit drawn out…but like I said, I'm a lone Faunus, you're a human…we don't _have_ to observe these practices but…"

Weiss let her fingers twine with Blake's. "But what?"

"But I know that we're going to have to follow human customs...and I don't want to forget who I am under all of that." Blake shook her head, burying her nose into the nape of that pale, exposed neck. Her words were soft, and a bit shy. "More importantly, it'd be easier on me…on both of us, if we follow Faunus tradition as well."

"So, I'll wear the band." Weiss remarked. "Correct?"

Blake nodded unsteadily. "I'm going to be marking this band as if you're part of my social group."

"It…seems easy enough...I mean, we are part of the same team...that is a social group." Weiss allowed, but part of her was more than a little unsure.

"You're right, it is." Blake said softly. "However, Ruby's the team leader, in that context, she's in charge of the team's social group...what I'm talking about is a little more abstract. Think of it more like a community. They can be small, or they can be very large. Some Faunus are part of more than one. Velvet also banded you, so technically, you're part of two social groups. Other Faunus will identify that, and one's she's banded will treat you friendly, even if they've never met you."

"It sounds rather like a family crest in that way." Weiss said, hoping to steady her quickly beating heart. Blake had already proven herself to be very territorial, and Weiss had no idea how Blake would handle encounters with others in the future. This band was supposed to help fix that, but to what degree? Weiss had no way of knowing. "…but, it's not so easy, is it?"

"Well, it is, actually…more or less." Blake said, picking up the unspoken question. "If someone has a problem with you being part of my social group, they can contest it. Since you're a Schnee, some might. If that happens, there's going to be a fight about it. I can't back down from it…"

"Why not?" Weiss asked, looking at the silk band. "Why can't you just be the bigger person and walk away?"

"Basically, it's because we Faunus just don't think that way. Walking away is kind of like a tactical retreat." Blake told her. "That's like saying I'm afraid to fight for you, or that you're not worth protecting. If someone picks a fight with you, they're doing that to provoke me, and I have to answer in reply."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" Weiss already felt like the eyes of the school would be on her.

"Maybe not, but you're going to have to get used to it." Blake admitted, tucking herself further into the cascade of perfectly kept white hair. "When it comes to your family, we'll do things your way. When it comes to other Faunus and our friends, I need control. Faunus have a somewhat strict hierarchy that we follow. The strong lead the weak, that's just how it goes. The stronger you are, the better respected you are. Intellect has value as well, but not over brute strength. If I can't dominate the territory I claim, I'm as good as worthless."

"You're never worthless." Weiss retorted. "Never think that way."

"But if I can't protect you, then _I_ _am worthless_." Blake shot back, ears flattened down. "I'm not just some lowly omega who needs to be protected from everyone."

"A what…?" Weiss asked, eyebrow raised.

"Omega…" Blake murmured, finding the terms rather uncomfortable. Then, she felt Weiss move, and she curled into herself. There was something entirely intimidating about those blue eyes when Weiss turned to look at her. The pure disconnect between the phrasing out of Blake's mouth and Weiss's ability to understand was alarming. "It's a…Faunus….thing…"

"I gathered that." Weiss replied as evenly as possible, not realizing that the sterility in her tone was actually worrying Blake even more.

"It's…" Blake sighed. "It's going to sound bad."

"I've noticed a lot of things sound bad recently…"

"It's in my nature to want to be an alpha. There's a pride that Faunus like myself have. We feel an inherent need to provide for our social group. That's the alpha's job. It's a huge responsibility. I want to own territory. I want to be well respected. In the White Fang, I could clear a room with a single snarl. If someone even looked at me the wrong way, all it took from me was one little sound of aggression, and they backed down. There's power in that, and it's power I want."

"That's more than freighting…" Weiss replied. "Blake, you promised me…"

"I did, and I'm keeping it." Blake promised, finally finding the courage to looking into those deep blue eyes properly. "When a strong Faunus makes a stand, over time fighting doesn't happen. An alpha's word is absolute law. If I can maintain that kind of dominance, others will willingly submit to me. If I can do my job right, I won't have to scare anyone away. They'll want to garner my good graces. If I was a lesser Faunus, I'd have to do more fighting for you, Weiss, not less."

Weiss merely sighed. "I don't understand this, Blake. However, I get the distinct feeling that no matter how I try, I'm never going to. The best I can do, is tell you that I trust you enough not to do anything too extreme."

"I promise you I won't be aggressive purely for the sake of it." Blake murmured honestly, though a tiny grin, one laced with slightly worried humor tugged at her lips. "Besides, Velvet and her group will be keeping an eye on you too. If you think I'm aggressive, you don't want to see what happens if someone get's on the wrong side of Coco...and she's not even a Faunus. If you want something confusing to figure out, try wrapping your head around that."


	11. Chapter 11

The band was soft, silky smooth to the touch. Unobtrusive under her clothing, and comfortable. The straps were well made, tying neatly into a bow. She remembered the way Blake pressed her thumbs into the fabric. Leaving her scent there for other Faunus to identify. She also had to remember quite a few rules about territory, and scent marking, several of which didn't apply to her directly. All of it was very exhausting, but Weiss endeavored to memorize all of the information the first time.

Later that evening, Coco asked to meet with her, and Weiss knew better than to turn the upperclassmen down.

"Where are you meeting her?" Blake asked offhandedly, her eyes focused on her studies.

"The campus spa." Weiss replied, packing up a toiletries bag.

"Oh, hey sounds good. I might follow you and split off at the gym." Yang said, looking for an easy out, but Blake gabbed her.

"You're planting your ass right here and finishing this report." Blake said, ear twitching in aggravation. "You can go to the gym later."

"It's not the one by the gym." Weiss said slowly. "Coco want's to meet me at the Lark's facilities."

"You mean that snooty place that you need that special card key to even get into?" Ruby asked from up atop her bed. "Those people in there are really mean."

"Aren't they...ya know...anti-Faunus?" Yang asked with a slanted eyebrow.

"Well, they aren't the most open minded of people." Weiss attested. "It'll it's more accurate to say they're exclusive to those of monetary gain. I don't go there at all, there's never any need to, really. However, as dealings with my peers start to crop up more and more, I'm sure I'll end up in venues that won't appeal to my nature. This is one such time. I'll look past the location, and look more at what I stand to gain."

"A bunch of pompous asshats as friends?" Yang provided.

"A location not many will flock to." Blake interrupted. "It's true that this school has a lot of upper-middle class students, but the cardkey into the Lark facilities costs thousands lien a year. The only people who could afford it, are people the Lark family want to appeal to...or the filthy rich. I know for a fact that the Schnee family has entry, because the Lark's aren't stupid. They want friends in high places. There are probably ten female students total, who even own an access key. Male students...twenty, maybe thirty."

"I was given my key." Weiss added. "The Larks' give us entry into all of their facilities. A small price to pay when you consider the amount of dust we discount to them annually. In any case, I must be off, I wouldn't want to keep Coco waiting."

* * *

At the facility, Weiss disrobed slowly, fingers lingering over her new armband that she had been instructed not to get wet.

Weiss noticed something unique to it, though she couldn't put her finger on what exactly that was. It wasn't the lavender body spray Blake used, although that also lingered on the fabric…but there was something else too. It was tangible even to her, though what exactly it was, she could never be sure. Still, with the thin, woven band sitting around her arm, she couldn't avoid the fact that everyone who was a Faunus would know…

And maybe…maybe some who were not. It made the details of the letter she had sent to her father even more important.

She unwrapped the band and sunk into the hot water of the women's public bath. The campus featured a full spa right by the gym, but this area was different entirely. Rarely used by most students. This was a luxury, a place only the wealthy of students gathered. It wasn't often that Weiss came to this area of the campus, but here she was, hoping to cleanse away some inherent filth that muddied her brain.

That letter, gods that letter. It was being sent to her father, and it would reach his office sooner rather than later. She could just hear the rumors echoing in her head. The lies. The slander. Little miss perfect was doing the most imperfect thing of her life. There would be no greater scandal than this.

Her father was to be the first to be informed, that was something she made Blake promise. And, it was the same thing eating away at the sisters of team RWBY. What else could be done? She couldn't risk a misstep, and like it or not, she was a daddy's girl. Raised to be one, and though she was furious with him….more angry than her simple insults to his nature implied, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. Couldn't force herself to tarnish her family name by disrespecting the one bond that tied them together. Marriage dealings were a family matter, meant to be kept out of the public eye, until it was to be made public.

That, and she couldn't risk Yang blowing a gasket, something that was also very risky and too easily done.

"These are no match for the natural hot springs we find while out on assignment, but it'll have to do." Coco's voice came through clearly as she closed the door behind her, stepping out into the cool night air, and choosing a wicker backer for herself, shucking away her robe. "I didn't think you'd actually agree to this. Nice to see you're not such a total prude."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the jibe. "Please, do you realize how many women see me naked? In Atlas, I grew up with maids aplenty, and you know just as well as I do how easy it is to become a glorified dress-up doll." Still, as she said this, she sunk deeper into the bubbling water, just to be sure her modesty wasn't in danger of being exposed.

"True." Coco smirked then, sinking herself low into the water as well. "Even so, I'm surprised. You can say what you want about Faunus having human tendencies, but they are their own brand of emotion and trouble sometimes. Trust me." Then a little lower she dipped her voice. "You can bring Blake in here, you know. Beacon doesn't buy into all of the racist jargon that everyone else does…when I bring Velvet, people look the other way."

"She would never come…not with…" Weiss shrugged pointing at her head. "She might not wear the bow anymore, but anything with a sign that's exclusive to human's, she stays away from. Just like the SDC is completely anti-Faunus in their beliefs, the same can be said for the Lark family, and their precious hold on the luxury hotel market. Oh, what I wouldn't give to branch out the SDC into other ventures and show that pompous family whose boss…the only thing going for it is that Sky isn't a complete waste of space as an up and coming heir."

"Showing favoritism is a mortal sin in big business." Coco chided with a smirk. "Besides he's a bigot too, just like the rest."

"Bigoted yes." Weiss conceded. "Featherbrained, no."

"You been spending way too much time with Yang." Coco laughed.

"I won't even begin to argue that." Weiss agreed, closing her eyes and sighing deeply. Though Coco couldn't see it, Weiss uncrossed and re-crossed her legs, leaning slightly to her left as she folded her arms in front of her. "You said you wanted a word with me, so I came. I'm still waiting for why."

"I'm waiting on one more…" Coco replied slowly. "I know you want those contracts destroyed as soon as possible, but you forget, I'm just an up and coming heir as well. There are limits to what I can do by myself. You might consider that next time you go looking for advice."

"If you have so little faith in your abilities, why am I here?" Weiss asked crudely.

"Because it's time that you ender the fold." Coco replied, hearing the door open and close behind her. She turned her head, the figure behind her one of excellent standing. Pyrrha Nikos. "There you are, why are you so late?"

"Training with Jaune." Pyrrha replied unapologetically. "And dealing with the fact that Reese and Arslan are under stress with a mission right now. They were unable to make the flight to Vale."

"And I'm assuming our dear friends from Shade Academy are the same?" Coco murmured hotly.

"That would be correct, though Nebula assures me that they'll be sure to attend next time." Pyrrha offered Weiss a kind and knowing smile. "Hello Weiss."

"Pyrrha." Weiss greeted, an upraised eyebrow showing off her confusion. "Why do I get the feeling I'm being dragged into nothing but trouble?"

"One might say that." Pyrrha nodded. "Although you could also say that this is a long time coming. Although, it wasn't my idea, in fact, I only found out about this whole thing last year."

"Weiss, the White Fang aren't the only group of people interested in garnering Faunus rights." Coco began. "There are the smaller, lesser known activist groups as well, but they don't hold a candle to the distrust the White Fang causes. So they stay out of the news." With an unrepentant grin, and a lazy stretch that popped her back, she finished. "And lastly, there's us. As a group, we're known as Black Jack, few in number, immense with power."

"How come I've never heard of it?" Weiss chastised.

"Because we're exclusive by nature. We can't have a bunch of common-wealth prancing around with our name embroidered across their jackets. We push for rights from the inside out, dealing with the corporate level red tape that the White Fang couldn't even hope to get their hands on. We don't march in rallies, or in fight wars. We make statements with what makes the world go round."

Money and influence..." Weiss surmised. "I see."

"And it works." Coco continued. "Naturally, however, we're primarily a human run organization. There aren't many Faunus with the funds and influence that we do."

"And…who might I ask, leads this group?" Weiss asked, clearly assuming it was Coco if her vocal tone was anything to go by.

"If she wanted you to know, she'd tell you." Coco shrugged. "All we're here to do is pass along insider information about each other's companies…if you want backing, Weiss, you'll have it…but it's going to cost you."

"Unsurprising and not entirely unfair, either." Weiss deadpanned. "And to put the matter frankly, the total risk to the SDC is...?"

"Negligible." Coco countered. "Provided that you don't believe either one of us to be spies..."

Weis thought about this. Pyrrha was many things, but a corporate spy wasn't anywhere near the top of the list. "No...I don't believe I do."

"Wonderful." Coco grinned. "so this is how it's going to go down. Pyrrha is here as a second ear, to witness that we're actually trading the sort of information we're supposed to be…and not just chatting about the weather. So, are you in, or are you out?"

"Alright then." Weiss murmured. "What do you want to know?"


	12. Chapter 12

As a man, Wilson Schnee had made many grievous mistakes in his past.

The sort of mistakes that he could count upon all of his fingers, bitterly admitting defeat for all of the ones he had no explanation for. All of them, without question, centered around his family. So what if many thought him to be a prude, snobbish rich man? He was wealthy, but as life had proven, even a man of his standing could be reduced to little more than worthlessness.

At one time, he'd prided himself on being a dutiful husband. His view on gender role very distinct. Befitting the staunch views that the good people of Atlas seemed to harbor as well. After his wife's death, there was only one regret he held himself accountable for. His inherently bad temperament. Still, he was only mortal after all. He was flesh and bone, able to covet, and driven to desire. With no one to share his thoughts with, and no one to warm his bed, why shouldn't he be bitter?

Why shouldn't he be furious that her life had slipped through his fingers? Why shouldn't he feel the raw, unquestionable hate that his children were too young and too pure to feel? Why shouldn't he do something about it? Why shouldn't he rise up over this injustice? He concluded he was justified in his malicious intent with the White Fang, and Faunus in general, and left it at that.

His only regret in all of it was his powerlessness…something that a Schnee should never be. Something he promised himself he would never be again.

He found, however, that as a father, there were too many other complications. He simply couldn't navigate them. His endeavors with Winter taught him this well. He had attempted a rather 'hands-on' approach with her. He doted on her, educated her himself. Schooling her in the fine arts and grooming her for marriage. Unfortunately, his tutelage worked too well.

Soon he found himself wondering if he'd somehow horribly gender-confused his eldest. She had abandoned skirts for slacks, and soon enough dresses for suits not unlike his own. Then she went on to burying her nose in politics, and joined the military, utterly refusing to allow a man into her life. She didn't want to settle down. She didn't want to be a kept woman. She wanted her own high standing, offered to her by the people of Atlas on her own merits.

These were all masculine things…

Things he wished he had not instilled, and yet, Winter was no mockery of the family name. She was poised, elegant, and eloquent when it suited her. A bit pointed and blunt perhaps. Yet a true beauty to behold. She used those stunning good looks to her advantage, along with her keen intellect. Rising the ranks quickly, she was a woman who demanded respect by skill and honor alone, and people took notice. When a man such as General Ironwood himself applauded her capabilities, it was no question that Winter's path suited her perfectly.

Suffice to say, Wilson allowed Winter to have the many oddities she saw fit to cling onto. Happy at least, that he raised her to the best of his ability. However, seeing his failures with Winter, he promised not to mirror those mistakes in Weiss.

He pampered Weiss like a little princess, raising her to be the heiress. He was careful about it, meticulous. This time, he was a little more distant, relying on the maids to teach her properly what a woman's role should be. He took the time to educate her, welcomed to her studiousness as any proud father might. Except this time, he instilled subjects that could not be changed. Hard fact, not theory. Math over science. History over politics. His teaching mentality with her differed too. He was to lecture, and she was to learn. Just as a man would speak, and a woman would listen.

This, he found worked splendidly, until she showed an interest in the arts. Offering her the connection to her sister that Weiss desperately wanted, he allowed her to take up fencing. That, he knew, was when Weiss also spiraled out of his control.

That he gloriously failed in producing a prim and proper heir. Why else would she attend Beacon? Why else would she deny his every request? Why else would she be so intent to rebel against him? He knew Weiss took after him. She was colder and more calculated than Winter. Easier to anger, slower to forgive. She was all of his bad habits that he once blamed on his own father's neglect. What was worse, was that she was also a far more progressive. More willing to bend and outright snap societal normality in half.

So knowing all of these things, he could only sit at his desk. Counting his many mistakes, his continued failures. Blaming himself for yet another one…one so severe, he wondered how in the world it could even happen to him…or Weiss, for that matter.

"Is it really so troubling?" A voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"More than a little, Ozpin." He rebuked. "It's impossible."

"Is it, truly?" The man wondered aloud from his place. The flicker of the call feed pulled his attention momentarily, before he returned his kind look back to the leader of the SDC. "I think, if you look back, it was quite obvious that Weiss would take well to Beacon. We both agreed to that, didn't we?"

"Beacon, yes...but to a Faunus?" He spat the question like the worst invective he could think of. "She's been bewitched by those animals."

"Now, now...no need to be so angry about it." Ozpin told him. "Weiss is at the very least, a pragmatist. She wouldn't choose to inform you unless she needed to."

"I do not know what in the _hell_ has gotten into her…" Wilson said at length as he seethed. "However, I wouldn't doubt for a moment that you have helped to produce these results."

"Results." Ozpin echoed dryly. "As if my students are lab rats I experiment on daily..."

"Don't you? I know your mind, you fink! You analyzed everything, internally concocting new theories about the world at large." Wilson groused. "That school is little more than a social experiment. A petri dish! My daughter should be above all that, but you...you must have done something to encourage this...this...I'm so disgusted, I don't even have a word."

"Well…" Ozpin laughed, his image displayed on the monitor. "They are on the same team. I'm hardly surprised."

"That is precisely what I've called about." Wilson chided, rage clear in his tone. "You will remove her from that animal this instant. You will place her on a team of hunters that are capable, dignified, and most importantly human…and you will see to this before the day is done. Is that clear?"

"Hmm, well, I could move her, I suppose. However the students all remain in the dorms." At this, he sipped at length from his mug. "Even if I were to extract her from team RWBY, which I don't suspect is a good idea, she would still be able to spend her free time as she saw fit…anywhere she saw fit. I'm her headmaster, not her keeper."

"Then a few words from you on the negative impact of her studies should help." Wilson suggested. "Maybe that will allow her to see reason."

"Her studies are quite what I expect of them." The man replied with something of a shrug. Careless both in action and in humor. "High marks, with higher than average effort placed into each assignment. She had been struggling though, her schooling made no easier by you and your meddlesome ways."

"Pot meet kettle!" Wilson shouted. "Ozpin, I'm warning you, I will forcefully remove her from that school if I must."

"She's an adult, Wilson." Ozpin continued kindly. "Surely you understand that you cannot do that. With the burden of adulthood comes the freedom of choice. All she would need to do is renounce her place in the company. Winter certainly wanted nothing to do with it, but she left peacefully, quietly, and with great respect to the family name. If you strike out at Weiss, you may risk upsetting her, and pushing her away...a public scandal serves you no good...both you and Weiss know this."

Wilson sighed. "I'm not striking out at Weiss…it's the Faunus I want done away with."

"Blake."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Her name." Ozpin repeated coolly. "As I've told you before, her name is Blake…Blake Belladonna. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Reminds me of a southern bell. She's quite studious, and a wonderful fighter. She's got a mouth on her, very vocal about the world, and Faunus rights...I can see why Weiss would be smitten."

"Weiss wouldn't surround herself with stupidity. I've heard of her team at length from her letters, and what my intelligence unit gathers. I'd always assumed she would be interested in the little one...what was her name?"

"Ruby." Ozpin offered. "Ruby Rose. Young, but very capable."

"That would be the one." Wilson replied.

"She's young, a bit hyper. Weiss is fond of her, yes...however, I think you'll find that fondness is one of friendship. Perhaps familial, in a way that mirrors Ruby's older sister Yang. It's not romantic, at least not in such a way that one could demand a union from." Clearing his throat then, he posed a question. "Do you truly see no value in one such as Blake?"

"For a pet, perhaps...a...concubine...disgusting as that is." Wilson allowed tightly. "Not as a betrothed."

"Temperance, Wilson, temperance…" Ozpin reminded him. "Fury burns bridges, and rage distorts intent…I implore you to digest this properly before you carve a divide that cannot be crossed."

"The only divide that seems to be made is between my daughter's whims, and what passes for good sense!" He pressed his lips together, biting back another curse that would neither be helpful or insightful. Then, he rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "What I do not understand in all of this, what I cannot even begin to fathom, is how she can forget."

"I believe you should be thankful." Ozpin murmured. "She was too young to fully understand."

"No child forgets that." Wilson sneered. "No child forgets their own mother in a pool of blood." He gripped his brandy glass, swigging from it, his fingers shaking with his ire. "No Schnee in their right mind would forgive that loss!"

"Except if it's a loss she will never know the cause of. She's too young to share the hate you harbor." Ozpin sighed sadly. "Wilson, you protect the girl too much. She was so small, so innocent, and you preserved that innocence in a glass bottle. Capturing what of it you could, but children are mortal. They do grow up, and with that age comes questions, enlightenment, and freedom of choice. Ultimately, that is what it comes down to, and Weiss must forge her own path."

"Forge it she will." Wilson agreed. "But not with that mongrel..."

* * *

Life at Beacon was as busy as ever. Weiss did happen to receive a few startled and confused looks from her classmates, but between Blake's hard stares and Velvet's interference in the background, everyone kept polite tongues in their mouths. It didn't keep them from gawking though, though no one dared to do more than that when Blake seemed to be around.

There did come a time, however, when during extra circular activities, Weiss went off to the music room for some time to think.

She hated coming here with anyone else, but thankfully, very few hunters were interested in the piano. The baby-grand was polished and tuned perfectly, and her fingers danced across the keys. She pulled out a cigar, lit it, and placed it in the ashtray she'd brought with her. The smell of peppermint tobacco filling the room. She very nearly felt the need to cry, but the dusty pain of missing her grandfather didn't do her any good. Instead, she sighed, toying with the keys, making music that wasn't planned. No script, no music sheets, no rhyme or reason.

Just a keen ear, and a love for the classics.

She ignored the door opening and closing behind her. A Faunus with stubby tusks, one who played a violin here regularly, approached her.

"Um…excuse me..."

Weiss paused in her playing. "Yes?" She was in the same year as Weiss, very quiet. A wallflower of sorts. Weiss never imagined to share any sort of conversation, but some part of her mind flickered back to what Blake warned her about.

"May I…that is…if it isn't too much trouble…" Plucking one of the strings wordlessly, she forced the question out. "May I accompany you?"

"Do you have any sheet music?" Weiss asked, gently taking the offered slips of paper. A very old piece, one that she hadn't played since she left Atlas sat in front of her, and Weiss nodded. "Very well then."

The two of them began to play the piece, and Weiss could tell that the girl had skill. She had probably played for years before attending Beacon. The score was a long one, probably one of the few that Weiss had trouble mastering as a girl. Seeing it again now invoked a strong memory of the several charity events she had participated in. She listened to the song a lot from the backstage, and further, had attempted to copy it for years before she even began to get it right.

Still, her skill came with singing, not instruments, and she would never play this for anyone to try and be impressive. She could hardly keep up as it was. When the song ended, her fingers rested tiredly on the keys, a tiny sigh slipping from beyond her lips. "You are an excellent violinist."

"I'm…not all that great." The girl murmured. "My father, he was great. I just play for fun."

She didn't miss the implication. Was, not is. As if some sort of tragedy kept him from playing at all anymore. "Well, I think you give yourself too little credit." Weiss replied as she put out what little remained of the cigar and cleaned up the area. "If you'll excuse me, I really must be going…"

"Wait…" The girl called again, and Weiss rolled her eyes.

"What now?" She kept the sharp sting out of her inflection, but it was obvious she wanted to be left to her own mind.

The girl took a steading breath, nervously picking at the hem of her uniform, before clearing her throat. "I…your band…" The girl looked away. "Is it too much trouble for me to…um…reply?"

Weiss sighed inwardly at length. Faunus culture, Faunus nature. Never scent mark someone on their body without express permission to do so. That was rule number one. Rule number two, in the case of humans, children, or those unable to consent, mark their clothes in passing. Rule number three, anyone who wants to leave a calling card on someone should only mark places for the scent to be easily removed. Clothing, the wrist, or even a small part of the band itself were all acceptable places to leave calling cards.

Blake and Weiss had already talked about where outsiders would leave greetings. Blake would have preferred if it was on the band, and not Weiss's skin, but Weiss herself didn't really want others touching her arms, or getting within close proximity. They finally agreed that she could be marked on inside of her left wrist. It was impersonal enough, at least from Weiss's perspective, to allow others to get near her.

It was a battle Blake relented to easily, because at the end of the day, she wanted Weiss to accept being marked as part of daily life.

Knowing that's what Blake needed of her, Weiss nodded to the girl in front of her. "If you absolutely feel that you must." She said, resigning herself to the fact that this would soon be common place. "You may...is reply even the proper term?"

The girl nodded, and slowly approached.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the room, Blake was having an existential crisis with the door frame.

It sat there, tantalizing. She promised herself she wouldn't go marking up Beacon like some sort of crazed Faunus on a power high. What was going to soon be normal for the mining town, would not be normal for Beacon. After all, she didn't own the school. It wasn't her place. She swore to herself she would keep her scent marking to herself.

But…this was her room...and the argument could be made that her team of humans were hers now. Her social group needed protection. At least, that's what her brain told her, even as her logic scoffed at the mere idea. Still, she eyed the entryway with a sense of justifiable cause. After all, her mind argued with her, this _was_ her domain. She was the one in charge, no other Faunus lived in here.

Therefore, it made sense that as a Faunus, she would make a claim on this room. On her home.

"No one's ever marked territory in here." Blake sighed to herself, mumbling under her breath. "What idiot wants to mark a door anyway?" Apparently, she did, and her ear flicked wildly at her own aggravation. "Stupid instincts."

"Something wrong there, Blakey?"

"Don't call me that." Blake demanded, ears slamming flat against her skull.

"Err, okay." Yang said, flipping through the pages of a biker magazine. "You've just got that weird nervous tick again, that's all. Just figured you had something on your mind."

"Nothing is on my mind." Blake assured, going back to the book she had been reading.

"Hey, check it out." Yang said, holding open a picture that had Blake questioning the sanity of her partner. "Pretty hot, right?"

"You need a new hobby." Blake deadpanned, trying to burn the image of a tire advertisement out of her head. "And besides, it's just pandering to the weirdos."

"Hey, I'm not weird. She's got a nice ass. That's all I'm going to say."

"Could you please have at least a little restraint when it comes to looking at that?" Blake asked her honestly. "You're a woman yourself, you know. Not everyone enjoys being eyed like a piece of meat. Furthermore, no self-respecting Faunus would pose like that…"

"What do you mean, it's just doggie style…" Yang flipped a few pages back. "Has nothing to do with Faunus, see, look. And it feels amazing, trust me, great position."

"Oh my god, Yang! Ew!" Ruby protested from across the room. "Put that thing away."

Blake agreed with the sentiment. "Far too much information…of several varieties."

"Are you kidding me? This stuff is gold…" Yang promised, earning dual looks of indignation. Her roommates never could understand the appeal. Not even Ruby, who was a fiend for mechanical parts. Yang had to admit, the centerfolds left nothing to the imagination. She was sure that was why Ruby outright refused to look at them. Naked women were not her little sister's forte. Especially not ones posed on bikes, proudly on display for the whole world to see. "Besides, it's nothing you don't have."

"You're so gross." Ruby said, dragging the sheet that draped over her bed, closing it. "Blake, tell me when she won't break my brain. I kind of need it."

The elder sister merely chuckled. "Oh, like you don't look at porn on your scroll."

 _"_ _Yang!"_

"Would you stop torturing her?" Blake asked from her place on the bottom bunk. "When she shouts like that, it hurts my ears."

"Look, all I'm saying is that it's natural to look at stuff like this. There's nothing wrong with naked bodies." Yang shrugged. "And there's especially nothing wrong with appreciating a few gorgeous women on bikes. There's a couple of dudes in here too, but they're in speedos."

"Sexism at its finest." Blake murmured.

At this, Yang closed the magazine, leaning over the bed to look down at her friend. Her long blonde hair cascading down from around her. "Someone's a crab-ass today. What's wrong, Blake?" Yang asked, a knowing little glint in her eyes.

"Yang, don't you even dare…" Blake warned, but the blonde was already climbing down off of her bunk. "You know I like my personal space."

"Aw come on to be like that…"

Blake suppressed a growl, deciding to sigh at length instead when the all too clingy blonde clung into her. She half expected this sort of clinginess from Ruby, but she constantly had to remind herself that Yang's idea of personal space was non-existent. "Need I remind you that this is wholly inappropriate?"

"You're warm." Yang said with a smirk. "And you're also crabby, and you know the rules about that. If you want me to go away, you have to not be crabby anymore."

"I'm not crabby." Blake insisted. "I'm tired, now get off."

"Nope!"

"Yang, damn it." Book forgotten, she toppled them both onto the floor trying to push Yang off of her, which only resulted in Yang knocking the wind out of her. "Will you get off!"

"Contextually, that could be taken the wrong way." Yang smirked as Blake continued to grumble.

"Idiot…" The Faunus growled.

"What's wrong with having a little fun every now and then?" Yang asked as she got up, checking the clock and digging through her clothes for something better to wear out for a night on the town. "Missions are starting up soon. We won't get as much free time then. So you need to live a little now, while you can…speaking of, I'm going to head into Vale to chill for a few hours. Grab a pizza or something, either one of you want to come with?"

"I'll go." Ruby chirped.

Blake was content to stay in the room, and politely declined, her voice her usual monotone as she found the page she left of on. "No thanks Yang. I just want to read."

She settled in to do just that as the dorm room door closed, leaving her to the depth of her own mind once more. It was perhaps after a paragraph or so, that Blake began to let her gaze flick back to the door again. Watching it, as though it were some sort of deranged beast with the pure intent to torment her.

If left to her own devices any longer, it might very well have, but Weiss entered moments later.

"Welcome home." Blake greeted softly.

"Thanks." Weiss murmured distractedly. Bright blue eyes flicking down to her wrist lost in thought.

"Is something wrong?" Blake asked, though she could tell that it wasn't so much a troubled gaze.

It was one of being thoroughly perplexed. "Well, I was in the music room, as you know. I like to go there to clear my head. When I was there, I happened to be approached by someone…and…." Weiss sighed, her other hand reaching to cup her own wrist, thumb brushing across the place that had been marked. In truth, it was no different from a handshake, but on some level, it still left much to be desired. "It was different from what I was expecting."

"How so?" Blake asked with interest.

It was just odd." Weiss murmured, unsure how to describe her confusion. "She did leave something there, or, so she said."

"A boar Faunus, same year as us." Blake said slowly. "I've seen her around." Smelled her around Velvet too, but Blake didn't think it prudent to say that out loud. "I never thought that she was very sociable, but I guess I was wrong."

"What makes you say that?" Weiss asked.

"Well, because this is a greeting." Blake said softly, taking that dainty hand into her own. "Like Velvet, this girl is considered a prey Faunus. They don't make a habit of befriending people that might prove risky to them. More importantly though, is everything okay? You only go to the music room when you're restless."

"Vale's going to make more amendments to the Faunus rights act in the coming months, and let's just say that organizations other than the White Fang have their hand in the pot on this one…" Weiss said slowly. "And I may have been invited to also stick my hand in the pot."

"How do you know this?" Blake asked. "The media hasn't said anything about amendments to the Faunus rights act being changed."

Weiss nodded. "I have a feeling that's because of more than one gag order…"

"Gag order?" Blake gave Weiss a look that was tipped with an edge not unlike a knife. Pointed in a way only Blake could ever be. Her eyes narrowed, much in the same way they narrowed whenever she fixated on an erratically moving object."

"The people involved in this have that sort of leverage." Weiss replied. "If I am to understand Coco's explanation properly. These are people with more power and political sway than the White Fang could ever hope to have…Coco's involvement proves this as well."

"And her involvement in that organization, bothers you?" Blake asked softly.

Weiss shook her head. "No, but my own involvement might become a problem…but, Coco's right, if these amendments go through in Vale, Atlas will be forced to put their own laws under scrutiny."

"Do you know what's being added?" Blake asked, head cocked to the side.

"Well, therein lies the severity of these changes. As you know, Vale allots humans a total of thirty one basic human rights. Other governments, have adopted similar policy, though, how many of those rights transferred over varies from place to place. If legislation in Vale goes through, which is no small undertaking, Faunus in Vale may be covered by all thirty-one acts, the same ones humans possess."

"That…" Blake took a breath. "That's huge."

"I know." Weiss murmured.

"No...no, we've never been asking for that." Blake was shocked. "We've been pushing for rights, and equality, but all 31 one acts...we never thought that possible. They're called human rights for a reason."

"Probably because as influential as the White Fang is, even if they were peaceful at one time, they probably don't have the kind of clout that you'd need to get laws to pass." Weiss replied thoughtfully. "Apparently, this organization in question, plans to push liberties forward from the background. They're using the kind of persuasion that government officials answer to best...human motivation. Money and support from large companies."

"Bribery." Blake protested.

"Threats, and not the kind founded in terrorism...but probably worse over all. Do you realize how much government backing some companies offer. Coco's alone would cripple Atlas if they suddenly chose not to transfer goods and services. If the Adel Shipping Company were to uplift themselves and move to Vale, for example, Atlas would face immense repercussions. My family holds the same kind of power in different ways."

"And Coco supports this group..." Blake murmured. "That's interesting."

"Indeed." Weiss agreed. "The only problem is, I have no idea who leads the group, and I don't know to what extent they're willing to go. Coco merely said they use money and influence to speak for them, but that could mean anything. Coco seems to think this group stands a chance, and it's tempting to put my own family name where my mouth is…"

"But at what cost?" Blake finished. "A Schnee getting involved, that's not exactly child's play."

"No, it's not." Weiss agreed. "But, Pyrrha's involved as well, it seems, and several of our other peers. It seems as if this has been going on for a long time. I don't know the extent of it, but I would like to join."

"No, absolutely not." Blake said after a moment of thought. "It sounds too good to be true, and if it sounds that way, it most likely is."

"But what if it's not?" Weiss asked.

"I've wondered about that more times than I can count. It's dangerous." Blake said, shaking her head. "What if we do just one more rally…I used to think that a lot. Somewhere along the line, it turned to one more heist job, one more bombing. Denial and pleading are desperate efforts, and when you start thinking about what if…you start to grasp at straws. Do it long enough, you'll fall down the same pitfalls. Extortion, blackmail, threats…unless you know who this leader of theirs is, you're risking too much, and gaining too little."

"Maybe so, but I want to go to another meeting." Weiss said. "Their leader will be at the next one."

Blake withheld a growl, rolling her eyes in more exasperation than she knew what to do with. "I'll go with you then, but I outright forbid you to go alone."

* * *

 **AYangThang:** Sorry this is a bit late. I write several chapters ahead. When you do that, sometimes you find potholes in your work. I happened to find one in this chapter and I needed some extra time to hammer it out before it started breeding and getting worse.


	13. Chapter 13

"What jackass calls this late at night?"

"I don't know, Yang...probably one in an equally bad mood."

"Come on Blake, you gotta go in there. You know what's wrong, right?"

"But I don't, Ruby." Blake sighed as she sat on the ground by her dorm's door. "She's in a shouting match with her father, and that could include a great many different things right now...I've learned that jumping to conclusions whenever Weiss is concerned is a recipe for disaster."

"So, put your ear to the door and find out what they're bitching about." Yang said, rubbing her eyes. "It's three in the damn morning, I want to go back to bed."

"Yang, stretch your legs out." Ruby begged sleepily, tugging at her sister's night shirt. "I want to lay down."

"Here on the floor? Don't look at me, I'm not your pillow…" Yang grumped.

"Aw…come on…Yang…Blakey…please?"

"Ruby, she won't be too much longer. I'm sure." Blake told the young leader. "She's not inconsiderate enough to let it drag on. And we all have to agree this was less annoying than having the scroll buzz in the bedside drawer all night."

"Why are those things so loud?"

"Because if there is an emergency, hunters need to be notified." Yang explained. "Blake, come on, hurry her up already."

I'm not going to barge in on a clearly personal conversation. If she wanted me in there, she wouldn't have thrown me out too." Blake refuted. "If your father called you while he was that livid, I doubt you'd hang up on him, either."

"Yeah, well my dad's not an asshole."

"Point taken." Blake yawned. "All the more reason why she can't excuse herself for the night. Their relationship is taxing enough as it is, and besides, he'll just keep calling. That's the sort of man he is."

The door finally clicked open, and Weiss stood in the doorway, tired and upset. "I'm sorry about the inconvenience."

"That bad, eh? Uncle Qrow might be right about your family. Dad's still pissy about that camp." Yang dryly asked, her thoughts on the topic clear as day. "Say the word, Weiss, We'll all go beat the hell out of him..."

"You won't be beating anyone, Yang, honestly! We will discuss it in the morning." Weiss replied. "After we've all had a few more hours of rest."

"Fine by me." Yang agreed, hoisted her half-awake sister into bed, before returning to her own.

"Weiss, are you sure?" Blake murmured. "I know it was a...heated discussion."

"We're all tired." Weiss nodded. "It can wait. Circumstances won't change just because it's morning."

Sleep didn't come easily to the team. Least of all Weiss, who kept tossing and turning for an hour after the fact. She tried to be still, but her argument with her father boiled her blood and froze it solid all at the same time. She was angry, she was scared, and most of all, she could already feel her teammates eyeing her bed worriedly.

"Okay, screw sleeping." Yang said. "Come on, Weiss, what's that jackass done this time."

"It's not what he did." Weiss sighed. "It's what I did."

The room stayed quite, but Blake's ears flicked at the information. It had finally come full circle.

"Okay, what did ya do to make daddy dearest want to shit a brick?" Yang pressed, her voice a weird mix of motherly and annoyed. The group had heard her use it several times before, aiming it at Ruby when the girl caused some sort of havoc on campus. It was rarely, if ever, aimed at Weiss Schnee.

"I defied him."

"You do that a lot, though." Ruby said, bending down from her place. She couldn't see anything more than an outline in the dark room, but she peered at Weiss anyway.

"It's different this time. It's not just me going against his wishes this time. What I'm doing, well…it's going to impact a lot of people, and it's going to cause a lot of problems for my father too." Weiss said softly. "And I knew it might end up causing problems here at Beacon, which is why I kept you two out of it. I thought, maybe if I kept you at arm's length, my father wouldn't lash out at you too."

"Weiss-" Yang started, an edge in her voice. She was ready to fling herself out of bed, but Blake beat her to it. That was more than a little weird. She saw the outline of the two of them, much closer together than what would be considered normal. True, Weiss was beginning to let her guard down when she was upset, but Yang had only seen Blake do this one other time.

And that time hadn't been good.

"It seems…it seems as if I was wrong." Taking a deep breath, Weiss sighed. Face buried into Blake's shoulder. "All of Team RWBY is to come to Atlas this weekend, or the ramifications will be dire."

"Your dad wants riff-raff like us in his house?" Yang asked. "Does he even remember my uncle?"

"I'm sure he does. I believe that's the inherent cause of this issue. Bloodline means something to him, and so too, does family history." Weiss sighed softly in reply. "My father believes that you two have been bad influences on me…and he also believe all three of us are being….misguided…"

"I'd ask what he's been smoking, but I think we all know who he's really pissy about." Yang flared her aura, the glowing in the room offering enough light for her to look at Blake. "Okay, kitty, what did you do to piss him off?"

Blake's ears flattened back as Weiss spoke once more. "She…promised herself to me..."

"Promised herself?" Ruby asked.

"Huh?" Yang frowned. "You mean like, engaged?"

"Yes, Ruby, that's exactly what I mean." Weiss murmured. "We are promised to each other."

"Woah…" Yang looked between the two of them. "Blakey, really?"

The Faunus sighed, and nodded shortly. "It happened so fast. One second we're fighting on the roof, and then, the next…" Blake looked down at Weiss, trying to gauge her reaction, but those blue eyes were so exhausted in all the wrong ways. Blake closed her own eyes, feeling her own exhaustion take over. She never realized how uncomfortable she had been over the topic until it all washed away into the mild truth it had become. "I suppose her father knows, now…and he's not exactly happy about it."

"My father insists on arranging a ball." Weiss replied, her words sickly with malcontent. "To celebrate my success in stabilizing my first business venture. He has also made it a point to arrange all of us escorts. We are to attend this ball, we don't have a choice." She then looked up to Yang and Ruby, perhaps the two most unfit souls to deal with the refinery of a ballroom. "Failure to comply will be as good as a formalized resignation from my claim as heiress to the company. Furthermore, should any of my teammates avoid the party, it will only prove how unfit a team I currently reside in…Ozpin and several others have been invited to this ball."

Yang grit her teeth in what Blake would have called a very convincing snarl, a strong of murmured curses were not ones that bore repeating. Everyone noticed the aura flaring hotter though. "How much you wanna bet papa-jackass is shoving us with Cardin and his team?"

"It's not even a question." Weiss replied sadly. "Though, as the lady of honor at the ball, I'll be encouraged to dance with any who might ask…and I'm sure, among them will be many single men...and possibly women...of my father's choosing."

Yang quirked an eyebrow. Her aura going out with a loud crackling. "Oh, fuck a duck..." Formal parties implied dancing, and not the kind of hip gyrating techno beats she swayed to at the clubs.

"Yang?" Her sister asked.

Yang re-lit her aura. She needed the outlet. "Uh, now might be a good time to mention that I can't ballroom dance…"

"At least you can walk in heels!" Ruby said worriedly. "What am I going to do, take two steps and fall flat on my face? That'll be a great first impression."

"This…" Weiss sighed at length. "Is going to be a disaster."

* * *

Weiss had, on more than one occasion, honestly considered renouncing her name. Seeing the mining town in squalor had made her so emotionally broken that she had once thought nothing could be salvaged. Now though, her visits were proving fruitful. Although she couldn't say she was overjoyed with the current results, there was progress, and plenty of it.

With living conditions more or less stable, they could now focus on productivity.

There were plenty of improvements to be made, machines that were still dangerously old, and were in need of repairs. Weiss had made an order that no one was to touch them, least someone else be killed by the faulty mechanisms. This slowed the possible profit margin considerably. The miners were only gathering the means to survive, and so this town was only breaking even, not turning the sort of profit her father would one day expect.

This visit wasn't going to be like the others. Blake was going to go there first, a few days ahead of her. "I really think I should go with you." Weiss said, as she watched Blake pack her belongings.

"I don't think you want to, not this time." Blake told her. She paused, and sighed. No, Weiss didn't need to be there. "If you don't want to see a lot of fighting, then this is for the best, Weiss, trust me."

"I don't want you fighting at all." Weiss shot back. "They're good people."

"They're hive-minded. Control the hive, you maintain control of the town." Blake said earnestly. "We've been away for a while, so they're all going to be arguing with each other. I'm going to go and lay down a few laws that will be abided by, whether or not we happen to be there."

"And if they don't like these laws?"

"Then I will correct the naysayers."

"Blake..." Weiss began slowly. "I don't know if I like the sound of that."

"You don't have to like it." Blake told her. "I didn't ask you to. I'm telling you that I am going to go oversee some Faunus related behavioral problems. These fights will happen with or without me there. It's in our nature...and it's my nature to look after my potential mate. I'd say this is part of that. I'm making a claim, plain and simple."

"Blake…" Weiss let loose a length breath. "I..." Blake had already warned her that now that she was banded, she would be expected to adhere to Faunus society while within the sanctity of the community. She wasn't to go wandering off into unclaimed territory. She would also have to deal with the growling fits that took place between the aggressive Faunus looking for a piece of the prize. "How bad is it going to be?"

"Bad enough that I don't want you in the mix." Blake said. "Besides, you need to get Yang and Ruby able to slow dance before we all end up embarrassing you at the party."

"Speaking of…" Weiss trailed off, not wishing to offend Blake's sensibilities. Formal parties at the manor were convoluted affairs, meant to further her father's goals. Most of those were firmly SDC related, but not all of his intentions were pure.

Blake ignored her duffel bag, and turned to pull Weiss into her arms, adjusting their positions into a proper pose. They began a simple variant of waltz commonly found in Menagerie. It was a little unlike the one found in Atlas, or even the one popular in Mistral. It was slightly more casual, and freeform, but no less smooth and elegant, especially with Weiss being so adept at following a dance partner. She ended in a short twirl, and a cocky little grin. "I'm not to your caliber, but I think I can survive a night of dancing."

"That's not what I was going to ask." Weiss replied softly.

"It's just one night." Blake murmured. "I'll be fine, I promise…you just have to go out there with that big plastered on grin I hate so much, and push through it." Blake sighed, cupping a porcelain cheek. "We've been through worse, Weiss. I'm not going to make a big deal out of it if you won't."

"I didn't want the pressure of all of this to fall onto Ruby and Yang." Weiss said, offering little resistance when Blake pulled her closer still, arms wrapping around her back. "Now they're being put under scrutiny too, and their father holds a position in Signal. I don't think I have to tell you this, but my father holds stock at all the schools…and he also offers incredibly cheap discounts to schools he favors."

"Yang and Ruby won't let anything bad happen to their father's reputation, or yours." Blake assured. "Yang's too protective of us to let something like that happen."

"Yang has also never stood up to a man like my father before. I didn't ever want Ruby to have to deal with him." Weiss worried about that specifically. Ruby viewed the world in a positive light, where bad things that happened always had a saving grace somewhere….but Wilson didn't think that way. He was cynical, angry, in ways that he refused to speak of at length. Ways that Weiss could only randomly guess about. "I don't want to have to say this…but I don't think I can protect you, Blake. I know for a fact my father will do his best to separate us."

"You let me worry about that." Blake told her. "There are limits to what he can do so long as I'm a Beacon student. I'm sure I can face the worst of it."

* * *

Blake arrived to the mining camp with the resident Faunus at a low boil.

She expected much worse, but she could see clearly it wasn't good. The large pack of wolf Faunus claimed over thirty percent of the marked territory as their own. A young one among them, Lobo, was the primary trouble starter. He didn't keep to his boarders, and pushed into other territories. He forcefully claimed spots more often than not. Besides striking fear into prey Faunus that got in his way, he also picked fights with the much older, and more reserved males.

The ones who were mated, had families, and were slated to sit as well respected member of the community. Lobo was a young, but strong Faunus. What he lacked in experienced leadership, he more than made up for with his tactics of intimidation. Blake had more than one run-in with him. She soon found out that he was trying to force his way into the alpha position.

That, Blake decided, simply wouldn't stand.

This was the reasons she was here, and without Weiss. She would be the alpha, and forcefully correct anyone who might oppose that. Lobo sat at the top of that list. His personality was very similar to Adam, but he lacked armed combat experience, making him worlds less threatening to someone like Blake. She had her chance to correct him soon enough.

"Stand down." She snarled when she caught him marking one the trees near the tent. She had set it up not an hour ago, and he was already encroaching.

"And why would I do that?" He asked.

"Because you're crossing into my territory." She told him evenly. "I warned you, don't toy with me."

"You think I'm afraid of you?" He sniffed pointedly. "You have another thing coming. This is my home, you think you have the right to wander in and out of here like you own the place?" He chuckled then. "Face it, you don't have the chops to maintain power here after you go home. The other Faunus mark up all your lines, you come back to nothing. Then have to mark everything all over again…you can't keep rank like that."

"You've been pushing lesser Faunus out of their own spaces." Blake told him. "They don't have a choice but to push into mine…and I know you're at fault…don't think I don't know what you did to the cafeteria." She pushed forward. "That's a communal space, you little shit."

"Now, now…" Lobo chided. "Wouldn't want to upset that little human of yours."

"She's mine, her emotions are none of your concern." Blake told him, stepping right onto the edge of her boundary. "You lift your palm to that tree one more time, I'll rip it off and beat you with it." He growled, and Blake returned the favor, teeth bared. "Last chance, don't screw with me."

He took a step forward, and she reached up, slapping him as hard as she could across the face, pointy nails clawing across his cheek. She missed his eye on purpose, pulling into a swift roundhouse kick that toppled him to the snow. He wasn't a trained fighter, and she didn't need to resort to the usual biting and mauling sorts of battles that upset Weiss.

She could still beat him either way. And she did, hands grabbing at him, and forcing him face down in the snow, rubbing his nose into her boundary-line. "Now listen here…"

"Fuck you..."

"I said listen!" She snarled again, when he did the same in defiance. "This is mine. She is mine. You would will bow to me…" She breathed, face inches away from his. Her breath hot against his neck. "You _will_ defer, or you _will_ suffer the consequences." Rubbing his nose deeper into the snow for good measure, she let her claws dig in once more, before leaving the bloody faced wolf Faunus to tend to his wounds in peace.

The whole ordeal had her on edge, angry at him, but also angry that her territory was being disturbed. She began covering his scent that he left on her markings, being sure to promise dark retribution to any passerby that seemed to get any bad ideas.

Blake had prepared for this at length, and during dinner the next night, she decided enough was enough.

"Listen up!" She called, standing on one of the large wooden boxes in the corner. "As most of you probably know by now, I've claimed Weiss Schnee as part of my social group. She owns this mining camp, and her father owns you. We can sit here and complain about the injustice of that all day, or we can do something positive about it."

This, as expected caused a dull roar as several people began to disagree.

"Hey!" Blake called, putting a whistle into her mouth and blowing it so loud, even her own ears were ringing. "I'll do it again if I have to." She ordered, and as a result, ended up using the whistle once more as a few young men decided to curse at her. The sound was crippling, even with the earplugs Blake made sure to have on hand. Finally, no one could take it anymore, and complied under duress.

"As I was saying," Blake huffed, her own ears twitching in agony as well. "It would behoove us all to make this place success. Weiss doesn't hate us, but she's nose-blind and new to our customs. I would appreciate if we didn't feed into all of the negative stereotypes. I would also appreciate if we had some law and order around here…we aren't animals, these territory pissing matches have gone on long enough."

"And just what would you have us do about that?" An angry serpent Faunus asked, tongue twitching between his words.

"I'm taking control." Blake announced. "This is my only verbal statement on the topic, but this mining town is now mine. If anyone wishes to contest this, you may do so. Bear in mind, I'm armed and dangerous." She withdrew Gambol Shroud for proof. "I will not let my power come into question, and I will combat you just as I would the White Fang, or any other adversary. With deadly accuracy. Anyone care to test me?"

"Test ya, no. Question yer motives, though." The bear Faunus, the one Weiss appointed as the foreman chewed on his bottom lip. "Say what ya want. A Schnee is a Schnee. She ain't worth trustin'. Wastin' yer time on that one."

"Who would you rather deal with, Weiss, or her father?" Blake asked, knowing the answer. They all did. As much as they distrusted Weiss, they hated the figurehead of the SDC.

"That ain't my point, girlie..."

"Never mind your point. Hear me out on mine." Blake started. "We all know how this is going to end if you chase Weiss away. This is the end of the line. If you guys mess this up, some of you are liable to go missing, and we know what happens then…if you don't want to be sold off, and separated from your families, I'd suggest you rethink your treatment of Weiss. She doesn't hold your lives in her hands…her father does…"

"So, situation ain't changed." The man growled with a bored expression. "Not gonna, neither."

"No, not yet, but I'm sure you want it to." Blake replied. He was a gruff man, but an honest one. "Weiss does too. The sooner we can get her sitting as the head of the SDC, the sooner we can revoke your labor contracts, and get you all into a better situation."

"What says she will?"

"She's mine, isn't she?" Blake asked. "If that doesn't say something about her character, nothing will…"

The bear Faunus shrugged. "Humans are fickle, girlie. I'd be careful markin' up someone who ain't our kind."

"Let me put it this way, then. If you guys fight her at every turn, she'll be forced to show that to her father. He'll expect her to punish you for insubordination…and no one wants to be in that position. Not you, and not her." Arms crossed, she sighed heavily. "If you ever force a whip in to her hands because you failed to listen to reason, lashings from her are the least of your worries. I'll watch her do it, and then, you'll answer to me…if the lashing don't leave you bloody, I will."

"Awful big threats, for a woman." A tiger Faunus replied, his long tail twitching in annoyance.

"Stand down, Rasha." The elder bear Faunus sighed. "Ain't no reason to fight yet. She ain't done nothin' you wouldn' do. If your mate were threatened, this whole damn place'd be fucked sideways." He looked back to Blake. "Say we bow our heads. Let ya take power. Then what?"

"You act like you have a choice. You don't. If you want one in the future, you better bow now." Blake told him. "You make this easy on Weiss, I make it easy on you. It doesn't have to be any harder than that. I come and go as I please, you leave my territory intact. You listen to Weiss, you do as I say, you'll be living here peacefully, and we'll do what we can to keep conditions as comfortable as possible."

The foreman sighed, arms crossing, a low growl of thought issued from him. "Girlie here, has a point." He muttered offhandedly. "Fine then, you wanna corral this lot? Be my guest. It ain't worth a fight. What'cha want done?"


	14. Chapter 14

Exuberance would never be a replacement for skill. Effort was not equal to time. In spite of the willingness that Yang had for learning formal dancing, she had very little control in her younger and much more withdrawn sister. Ruby was not a quick study. The two of them slowing each other down, or outright backpedaling every lesson Weiss gave them.

A loud crash added more insult to injury.

"Whoops, sorry sis. Are you okay?!"

"Yeah…stupid lady stilts…"

Weiss sighed as she shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose in complete and total exasperation. "What even was _that_?!" She bellowed, giving the sisters of her team an acidic gaze. Never before had she come across such a disastrous case of two people unable to coordinate during dance practice. "You're not supposed to toss Ruby around like a ragdoll! That's not the point of a waltz…and Ruby, you're supposed to follow Yang's lead."

"Heh…that's my bad." Yang said, retrieving the table that they'd managed to knock over.

"Now do you see what I've been dealing with?" She said, as she turned to Pyrrha.

"Well, that certainly was…something." Pyrrha agreed, clearing her throat.

"I've seen Nora follow Ren's lead better than that." Jaune said, nodding over into Ruby's direction. A little more quietly he added. "Then again, Nora knows how to dance."

"They'll brain each other before they even get to Atlas. I need them to be able to learn this, but I have to go oversee SDC business too. I can't be two places at once." Weiss told them despondently. While it was true Weiss didn't put a lot of stock into Jaune's ability to do battle against Grimm, she had seen the man dance more than enough times to know he was fairly competent. Pyrrha's skill was equal to her own, so Weiss knew she could trust her as well. "Just a box waltz. Nothing fancy or complicated…just make sure they can survive a song without murdering someone…or flinging them into a punch bowl."

Pyrrha nodded, but she could tell which of the two need a steadier hand and slower tutelage. "Perhaps it might be best if I were to partner up with Ruby, and Jaune with Yang?" She said, looking to her partner for his approval. He nodded a bit shyly. He was a good lead, but he wondered if Yang would follow it. Only time would tell. "Don't worry, Weiss, we'll get this sorted out. You just go to Atlas and meet up with Blake."

"I owe you for this, just name the price, it's yours." Weiss said gratefully.

"Think nothing of it." Pyrrha said to her. "We're your friends, and we'd be happy to help."

Weiss nodded, but looked over to Yang and Ruby. "That's true, but I still want you to think of a way that we can repay you. Our team has never been in this kind of trouble before." Her scroll beeped, indicating she needed to be on her way. "That's my cue…I can't stall any longer. Ruby, Yang, keep practicing. Blake and I will meet you at the airbus in a few days. I'll text you properly with the arrangements."

"We know Weiss." Ruby told her, making a little shooing motion. "Don't want to be late do you?"

"Alright then," Weiss said, taking a breath, and grabbing the duffel bag she had packed. "Janae, Pyrrha, I'll leave them in your more than capable hands."

"Yeah, don't worry, I won't send my sister twirling into any more tables." Yang called as Weiss made her retreat. When she turned back to her impromptu tutors, she was met with two appraising glances she would never expect to be on the receiving end of. Pyrrha examined her up and down slowly, as if looking for something. "Uh, what'd I do now?"

"Yang…" Pyrrha said slowly. "When you said you had experience dancing, I must admit, I didn't see any evidence of it."

"Ah, yeah, that. I have experience, but not formal." She shrugged. "It's the kind of dancing that would give your boyfriend a heart attack."

Pyrrha offered a tiny smirk. "Alright then, I'm going to assume you'll be fine if we just review the basics. Listen to Jaune, do exactly as he tells you, and you'll be fine." Pyrrha turned to Ruby and stepped up to her slowly. "And as for you, let's start with proper posture."

"Um...like this?"

"Yes, just like this." Pyrrha rarely took the lead while dancing, but she knew the part, and as she grasped Ruby in the proper places, she noticed the girl flinch…Pyrrha expected this, which was one of the reasons she paired Jaune with the much more confidant Yang in the first place. Ruby would need a much more proactive instructor. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Ruby asked, a little squeak in her voice betraying her.

"Because I'm not your sister, and you're a wallflower if ever there was one." Pyrrha told her slowly, keeping her voice even. Their closer than friendly proximity was new for Pyrrha too, all truth be told. Outside of combat practice and classroom drills, the two of them were never as close as they were in this moment. Yet, Pyrrha was unrelenting, as she acquainted Ruby with what was expected of formal gatherings. "Relax, Ruby, take a breath. We'll start slow. Are you ready to begin?"

When Ruby nodded, Pyrrha started the music, and the training began.

* * *

Weiss was surprised when she reached the mining town. She hadn't been quite sure what to expect from Blake's early arrival, but she had to admit, it was pleasant. The town was calm. Well, more or less. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the Faunus looking at her like some sort of odd bauble though. Blake's arrival at her side, however, made quick work of that. They scattered like leaves in the wind.

"What was that about?" Weiss asked with a smirk.

"Oh, nothing unusual." Blake said, leading Weiss through the camp, showing her the new changes.

Blake's first order was to implement a sighted marking system. In Menagerie and many Faunus communities, nose-blind Faunus were compensated for their lack of smell. Scent marking was fine for those able to track such things, but some Faunus and humans, were born unable. She ordered them to use their banding fabric to leave a sign that could easily be seen from the human eye. She also made it very clear that there were to be no territorial disputes.

Blake had promised to respond with force if she happened to see one take place.

The second order came quickly in the form of selecting powerful Faunus. Ones she could trust to do her bidding while she was away at Beacon. She gathered a group of thirty. Issuing them bands she had spent time crafting expressly for this reason.

Five of them were patriarchs, older family men who had once been alphas themselves. In their prime, respect hadn't even been a question. and that carried on into their elder years. They were wise, and able to keep the peace.

The next five were their off-spring. Sons and daughters who took up the mantle of alpha for their family after being mated. They were parents themselves now, and this promised leadership for the future.

As a total, these ten were her betas. They would demands law and order while she was away.

Twenty came in the form of un-mated men and women. Docile types who were easily pushed around. These were her Omega, and made up the bulk of her community. They were either younger than her, not yet in their prime. Or slightly older, ready to properly accept a mate. Omega were an important part of the social circle, inhabiting shared territory, and offering respect in return for protection. The key in all of this, was that even the lowest ranking omega of Blake's social group, would still be above an alpha of any other group in this particular camp.

She stood as the leader, and her power would reign supreme.

The final thing she did before Weiss had arrived, was perhaps also the one to cause the most discourse.

She had publicly humiliated the two wolf brothers. Robo and Lobo, and their rag-tag bunch of troublemakers before the entire mining camp. It wasn't just her own demand for satisfaction that caused this. No, it was in the hope that the pack leader take notice of these troublesome young wolf Faunus.

However, of the two, it was Lobo she brought the full brunt of her power down upon. "Reparations will be made in full." Blake had promised, towering over the snarling pai in her ass. "If they are not, I will collar this one and tie him to a tree, like the rabid animal he's pretending to be."

And such threats were not taken lightly by anyone in the camp, least of all, the rest of the pack of wolf Faunus. Their pack's leader requested an audience, which Blake kindly provided…but it was on her terms, and there was no mistake to be made about it.

"This is entirely too much." Weiss sighed, crossing her arms and giving Blake a rather exhausted look. "Are you absolutely positive that there is no other way to go about this?"

"There is." Blake said simply. "But I promised not to go around biting others anymore if it could be avoided."

"I did request that, but did you have to put him in a ball gag?" Weiss replied, looking over at Lobo, who'd been shackled and silenced. The metal bit in his mouth was impossible to chew through.

"It's a statement...and an effective muzzle." Blake said, sitting down and leaning back in front of the large meal placed before her. This was scavenged food. Fish caught from a stream further off from the camp. Berries plucked from also the untouched forests, and water that had been filtered more than once. "Just try to sit back and enjoy it."

"I have servants at home, and I hate it there too." Weiss argued under her breath, as more from Lobo's pack continued to service the two of them at Blake's command.

"Relax, Weiss, they're only trying to apologize for their member's behavior." Blake said simply. "Social groups have duties to each other. Loyalties to maintain. Lobo is a high ranking member, though not the highest. The lower members of their pack are merely trying to prove to me he's worth my mercy…and the higher members…" She flicked her gaze to those sharing her table. "Well I suppose we should get this meeting underway, shouldn't we?"

"Name your price." Tala, the alpha female of the pack, and Lobo's mother was a placid woman. Widowed and remarried twice over. Blake had a respect for her, as one of the few Faunus in this camp to be both well educated, and one to have lived among humans. She hailed from the heart of Atlas, and arranged marriage bringing her northbound. She wasn't quick to anger, but she wasn't keen to keep idle conversation either. Friendly enough to bypass, dangerous to provoke. "I assume you do have one, don't you?"

"I do." Blake replied, enjoying another delicious morsel of fish. "It's nothing complicated or impossible." She said assuredly, it was however, an aggravation. One that would echo along the entire pack. One that burdened, and annoyed, and would not be desired to be repeated. "You have a son, Nuntis…as you know, I've brought him into my fold as an omega."

"I have been made aware." Tala replied coolly, gaze flicking to her younger son who also sat at the table. He was a season younger than his brothers, the only survivor of that particular litter after a bitter claimed his other siblings as pups. He was also mild mannered, unlike his much more aggressive elder brothers. This was due in large part to his inquisitive nature and keen eye for detail.

"My demands are simple." Blake said, placing her fork and knife down. "I expect your older boys to submit to the clearly higher power around here. I forbid either one of them from claim the role of alpha within your pack…I'd like your assurance in this."

"I understand your malcontent with Lobo." The older woman replied. "But his twin? I believe you've made your point clear to Robo. There's a scar on his neck, evidence enough that you put him in his place."

"He's still in cahoots with his twin. At the moment, my complaint is merely that he follows his brother's example. I've gotten complaints that the two of them haven't been very kind to the prey Faunus in the area." Blake's gaze flicked over to Weiss. "Having dealt with Robo once before, I'm inclined to believe it."

"So, what would you have me do?" Tala asked. "Leave my pack to falter?"

"Find Nuntis a suitable mate that he's agreeable with, and see to it that his progeny carry the line." Blake said easily enough. "If you promise me this, and that Lobo won't go around marking my trees anymore, I'll let him go."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. She was no expert on the logic of Faunus, but neither was she completely stupid when it came to social warfare of the highest caliber. "That's blackballing." She told Blake, both shocked and more than a little bit confused. "You can't really do that, can you?"

"She can." Tala said quietly, though she smirked only slightly. "Funny, Blake, that you haven't schooled your mate properly in these affairs."

"It takes time." Blake said, brushing away the jibe.

"That, I know too well." Tala laughed dryly, keen caramel colored eyes boring into Weiss. "Alright then, all me to educate her." Tala had no fear of this girl, but then again, Tala had seen the horrors of her father, and knew Weiss could never be of the same mentality. "My son has wronged the supreme alpha of this camp. Blake, as the supreme alpha, is well within her rights to ask for anything within my power to give. Should I deny her, though, it would be a dispute of her authority."

"That's much too convoluted for my taste." Weiss told the both of them. "Blake, you're more reasonable than this at Beacon."

"Is she now?" Tala laughed. "I'd say she's being plenty reasonable." Eyeing Weiss more carefully, the red furred wolf smirked. "The only question is, is a turf war between me and your potential mate worth my time?"

"No!" Weiss demanded. "Absolutely not. No turf wars."

"She said it." Blake laughed. "Not me…Tala stop teasing Weiss, she can't tell when you're joking and when you're not."

"Such is the plight of nose-blind humans I'm afraid." This earned her a blue eyed glare. One of remarkable rage, if Tala ever did say so herself. "My, you are quite the feisty little human aren't you? No wonder my son had a go at you. Pity she isn't Faunus, Blake." Then with a sigh of dismissal, she glanced over to her silenced son once more. "I'll meet your demands, of course…though I find it laughable you even assumed that either one of my oldest boys would be slated for my pack's leadership."

"Just to be clear, Tala…if he marks my trees again..." Blake trailed off, allowing her scent to do the talking for her.

"He'll find himself sporting a similar scar as his brother." Tala, of course, needed no further threats. "Understood, and agreed…now then, if that unpleasantness is out of the way, I do believe I would enjoy something sweet to soothe the pallet."

Dinner after that became very non-eventful. Though, if Weiss were completely honest, she still couldn't believe that a bunch of wolf Faunus had scurried around her like a bunch of servants. All in all, it was very off-putting. She went to beacon to escape that sort of treatment, not to seek more of it. Weiss liked her independence, and loved her ability to do things for herself.

So, it was with that in mind she ate her dinner quietly, giving Blake sideways glances, hoping this sort of power didn't go to her head.

* * *

Weiss entered into her shared tent that night after a short, but sorely needed shower. The hot water doing wonders on her addled mind. She only wished the Atlas chill wasn't quite so cold on the walk back. The first thing she did was pull out her brush, but Blake was quick to pluck it from her grasp.

"Hey!"

"Shh." Blake purred. "I want to do it for you."

Weiss resigned herself to the inevitable, closing her eyes, and allowing Blake to fuss over the long white strands that were impractically long for her choice of occupation. "What is it with you and my hair?" She asked, though she wasn't exactly expecting an answer.

"Bad habit." Blake said offhandedly.

"Mm." Weis allowed, but she shifted sending a glance over her shoulder.

Blake said nothing at first. Preening over the soft strands that slid through her fingers. The scent of purely Weiss lingering just underneath the shampoo. That her fingers were the first to touch them ignited a bit of gleeful possessiveness that was inherently childlike. Borderline silly, really. It wasn't as if a bunch of people went around touching the long white hair.

Still, it was perhaps because of that, that this victory seemed so wonderful. All the more important, because Weiss trusted her with the task...and just like that, Blake began to feel guilty. There was just so much that Weiss didn't know, that she didn't like, because she simply didn't understand. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I didn't say a word."

"But...you are thinking them." Blake murmured. "Even peaceful resolutions require a heavy hand at first...this is why I wanted you to wait before you arrived. I knew it would bother you, I just had no idea just how much."

"There's no point to talk about this, is there?" Weiss asked. "I'll learn to accept it for what it is, I suppose I don't have a choice in that." Weiss took a breath. "So, back to the topic of my hair..."

Blake was slow to answer, not entirely sure that Weiss would enjoy the real reason behind Blake's fixation. "Well, I am a cat Faunus…"

"Obviously." Weiss murmured, forced amusement at the edges of her tone.

"Well, it's a little complicated." Blake sighed. "Honestly want to know?"

"I wouldn't have asked, if I didn't want the answer." Weiss shot back.

Golden eyes closed in resignation. "Being in a community like this, makes me want to act the way I would if I wasn't surrounded by humans. I sometimes...forget, I guess...that you're human. To me, you're just Weiss. My future mate. Anyway, Faunus share a lot of characteristics with the animals we evolved from."

"Like the purring." Weiss deadpanned.

"Yes, like that." Blake said softly. "We also tend to prefer being clean." Blake told her. "Grooming is a social event between mates…though, I don't think you'd be entirely comfortable with me washing your hair for you…I thought at least this, well, that you wouldn't mind."

"I could do without the shared bathing for now, but don't mind you brushing my hair if it makes you feel better." Weiss finally managed after a short time. "Blake, you don't have to hide these sorts of things while we're at Beacon."

"We'd attract attention from Ruby and Yang." Blake mentioned then. "I know you aren't entirely fond of public displays...and frankly...this is not something I want them witnessing...at least not before we've mated properly...there's rules and decorum...and I respect you. I want to follow them."

Weiss turned, gently prying her hair brush out of Blake's grasp, setting it aside. "I'm not fond of a lot of things, lately...public or otherwise...but that doesn't mean I'm unhappy." Weiss told her, the earnest expression the only thing softening the otherwise harsh words. "That being said, we're certainly not in public right now."

Blake's ear flicked at that, shoulders squaring themselves under that expectant blue eyed gaze. The smaller woman wanted what she wanted, when she wanted it, and not a moment sooner. Some people might have called the mentality spoiled, but Blake saw it for what it was. A drive, a desire, and a demand that she held everyone to. Including herself.

Furthermore, Weiss was impossibly correct. They weren't in the public eye, at least, not at that exact moment. That was, unfortunately, what made this all the more intimidating.

It was a lot easier to toss up false bravado. To claim Weiss publicly and growl at any opposition. This, however, was quite the different set of rules. The play-by-play new enough to the both of them that a little hesitancy was welcomed and expected. Tender youthful uncertainty lingered just beneath the onslaught of decidedly adult sexuality. Neither one of them were fully ready to express that level of reassurance, but Blake smelled the willingness in the air, regardless...and it did terrible things to her mind.

Ever so carefully, Blake's fingers lifted to a few stray strands of white hair, swallowing hard as she maneuvered them back into their proper place.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Weiss asked, seeing that analytical glimmer in golden eyes.

Blake looked away, her ears wilting under the question, her shoulder slumping forward and she fought with herself. When the sleeping bags provided even less of an answer, she lifted her gaze back to Weiss. "Mine?" She murmured, that single word something so profoundly deep for how short and simple it was. She wondered if Weiss could understand the complexity of the question at hand. It was such a primitive way to ask, all things considered…but words were not Blake's native tongue, and she had no way to articulate the sure enormity of what she was trying to ask.

 _"Are you mine? Are you happy being mine? Is this really what you want? Mine? Can I have it? Can I have what's mine?"_

All of those questions and more weaved themselves into that one single, all-encompassing word. Another Faunus would understand every meaning and intent through scent. Blake's body language affirming what a decent sense of smell would tell anyone…but between them, Weiss wasn't gifted with that. All Weiss had to go by was a single word, and the emotions skittering across Blake's features…and because of this, Blake had no idea what her girlfriend would say in the face of that question looming between them.

"I don't understand what it is you're so worked up about." Weiss sat and stared the obvious foolishness in front of her, leaning up to very carefully plant a soft kiss upon those frowning lips. "Care to try again?"

Blushing deeply, Blake shook her head, arms wrapping tightly around Weiss and burying her nose once more in that sea of white hair. "Weiss…" This time her voice was even softer than before. Even more timid.

"You're afraid I'm going to get angry and leave, aren't you?" Weiss sighed, rolling her eyes when she felt the Fungus bunch up into a tighter embrace, scrunching them both to the corner of the already too small tent. "Of all the moronic things to think…Blake, I'm yours…that's the point of being betrothed." She said, finding it silly she even had to say as much. She pulled away only enough to force golden eyes to look at her. "Yours."

"Sorry…" Blake sighed, eyes closing as she visibly relaxed.

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me." Weiss demanded, feeling as though she would never understand what in the world tossed and turned inside of Blake's mind. Thankfully, after a few owlish blinks, Blake willingly obliged shoving the all too tense conversation away to linger for another time.


	15. Chapter 15: Schnee Manor Day 1, Part 1

**AYangThing:** Time to visit the Schnee Manor! Even though it's just one weekend in the timeline, it spans several chapters. Strap yourselves in, people, it's time for the first visit to the Schnee manor.

* * *

The Schnee estate was huge, nestled on the outskirts of Atlas proper. The main house was a sprawling example of wealth and power, divided into two wings, and three floors.

The downstairs held a mix of elegant rooms only used for parties, smaller casual living spaces, a small conference room, personal offices, and a library that connected to the second story. A low marbled stage, and a white grand piano sat in the middle of one of the great rooms. A looming testament of her family's love of classical music. The grand dining hall connected directly into the ball room. The ball room connected out onto the outdoor patio, where hearths waited to be lit to warm guests and shelter them from the chill.

On the second floor, there were a total of sixteen bedrooms in each wing. Six on each side were master bedrooms, complete with their own sitting area, fireplace, and bathroom. The other ten on each side were opulent, but lacked a formalized sitting area. There were also common areas, complete with a warm fireplace for chilly nights in.

The third floor was a sprawling winter garden with an etched glass ceiling. It was one of the most wondrous places in the mansion, housing small birds in the trees and rare plants. Weiss rarely entered the place, as it was one that her mother frequented when she was alive. In fact, she loved it so much, that her father had a statue made in her likeness, perching on the edge of one of the many water fountains, just as she always used to do.

On top of all of that finery, there were also two basement floors. The first one used for the gym, and Schnee family tech. The second basement floor was for the servants. The staff for the household included Faunus and humans alike, and they lived meagerly all truth be told.

For all of that grandeur though, it was not the only property on the grounds. There were also several guest houses. The largest one was a six bedroom home, a tiny mansion in and of itself. It sat nearest the front of the gates. There was also a three bedroom home nestled along the pine trees near the back of the property. Dotting the rest of the landscape were quaint log cabins with all of the Schnee family refinery placed within.

During the events hosted by the Schnee family, these cabins were offered to their guests so that they could bring their own servants, enjoying a little peace and quiet. At least, that's what her father always claimed. Weiss knew it was because he distrusted many of his contacts, and wished to keep them at a friendly arm's length away. She now intended to do the same, except in reverse. The longer she could keep her father away from her friends, the less damage he could do.

At least, that was her theory.

"I hope this is adequate." She said nervously, having picked one of the smallest cabins. It was three bedrooms, had a kitchen, an eating area, one half bath and one full bath. "If it isn't, we do have much more luxurious spaces…I just…" This particular cabin prided itself of a more rustic charm. "I'd rather you be comfortable, it's bad enough I'm walking on eggshells as it is…I wouldn't want you to be too." It catered to the simplicities of Vacuo, who even among the rich, favored practicality over refinery.

"Dude! The bathtub has jets." Yang called from the upstairs. "And the shower's got a steam setting! Oh man, I could live in this thing…"

Ruby had the decency to look properly embarrassed at her sister's antics. "Weiss, this is actually bigger than our home in patch." Ruby commented. "Anymore luxury, and Yang and I would probably get lost."

"Good, I'm glad I didn't go too overboard then." Weiss replied with a sigh of relief. "I was hoping you wouldn't mind if the rest of JNPR stayed with you too."

"Hell yeah!" Yang grinned as she came down the stairs sporting a huge grin. "Nothing beats out a good old slumber party. I didn't know they were coming along, though."

"Pyrrha's family has been invited to these sorts of gatherings for years. They'll also be given a cabin." Weiss said then. "Pyrrha normally declines attendance, but I have no doubt that she'll come to this one, I personally asked her to. Considering the sort of event this is, she'll be offered a room at the main house. If the rest of the team tags along, they'll need a place to stay that won't get them into trouble…I doubt any of them will be invited to the ball, except for Pyrrha's plus one, if she chooses to bring one."

"Why wouldn't she?" Ruby asked. "Jaune's an amazing dancer."

"Because, Ruby, Pyrrha's coming along to act as a buffer for any interference we might encounter. Not to wine, dine, and have a good time. You might consider this a mission of sorts, seeing as she is also affiliated with team RWBY. The upper class, frankly, are snooty, bigoted, assholes. They'll stop at nothing to tarnish a family name if it suits them. That she's friends with us…more namely friends with myself, and supportive of Blake, there's a good chance someone would choose to exploit that."

"Didn't think of that…" Ruby said sadly.

"Pyrrha doesn't come from a rich family background like Coco and I. Her family is considered new money, meaning that they only just started coming into their power as socialites recently. She already has plenty of eyes on her, and this ball could make or break her family's reputation. If a bunch of Beacon students go making fools of themselves on the dancefloor, her sponsors may choose to relocate her to a different venue…and due to her contracts, she wouldn't have a choice but to obey."

"And your dad knows this, so he's gathering all the young and capable heirs together in one place. Even someone like Pyrrha is someone he wants to network with. She's young, and with any luck, he can absorb her influence into his own." Blake cursed inwardly. "It's a bold move, but a wise one."

"Yes, well, my father's smart. He knows how to get what he wants, so we will need to be careful." Weiss looked over to Blake, the worry tugging at her lips. "You can come to the main house with me, if you want, Blake…but…you might have an easier time of things if you stayed here."

Blake took a breath. "What would be easier for you?"

"Well…" Weiss looked away in shame. She didn't want to be alone, so she tangled her fingers with Blake's own, hoping that would be enough. "It's just that, the manor can be very stifling. I can't even imagine every little thing that could upset you, but I'm sure there will be plenty. If there's any consolation, Coco, Fox, and Velvet are already mated, so they will be given a room together in the main house too. If you stick close to them, and Coco's parents, you'll be less likely to see anything particularly unkind…"

"It's okay, I'll bet that it will be just like Beacon. Sure, there will be jerks, but I'm among friends too." Blake said, but everyone could tell she was trying to convince herself of that. Maybe even more than she was trying to convince Weiss. "I'll go with you."

* * *

Every Faunus heard rumors of what it was like to step foot into the Schnee family home. There had been more than one televised tour of the spacious abode. When the programs showed it, they made it look like some kind of perfect resort. As it stood, however, the household looked as if it was undergoing extreme ciaos. Blake watched as servants, Faunus and human alike, were rushing about, trying to get everything in order.

"Come with me." Weiss said under her breath, as they slid in through one of the back doors. "It gets particularly busy around here right before the ball begins. The guests will start arriving tomorrow, and the ball will be held the day after that. With any luck we can sneak you into my room without rousing too much suspicion."

"Is that a good idea?" Blake asked.

"Good idea or not, I'm within my rights to allow visitors into my room." Weiss was an adult after all, fully capable of keeping nocturnal visitors, if she deemed it appropriate to do so. "If anything, at least it will make a rather extreme statement about just what my intentions are."

Her father would be absolutely livid, but she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

Blake wordlessly followed Weiss, her eyes scanning every nook and cranny. The household seemed distinctly cold, as if it lacked a family's warmth. Blake supposed that held some measure of truth. What family truly stayed in this house? Winter had fled for the military, and Weiss was away at beacon. What was left besides a lonely man, and his bitterly earned fortune? Even the room Weiss said was hers was entirely too gigantic, at least, in Blake's humble opinion.

"Now, I get it." Blake said as she put her things down in the corner of the room. "Suddenly our first few encounters at Beacon make so much more sense…"

"As if they didn't before?" Weiss shot back curiously, her blue eyes searching those of gold.

"I think I always had some idea…but really seeing it…" Blake glanced down to the beautiful but cold marble. Long plush rugs only covered parts of it. Even in that choice, it was clear just how lonely a person could become, living in a place so devoid of comfort. "I know this weekend isn't going to be easy. I've mentally prepared for the worst. Anyway, I just want you to know, no matter what happens, I'll never blame you…this is just…more proof of that, I suppose."

Weiss smirked sliding a panel on the door wall, showing a number pad. She typed in a four digit pin. Part of the locked wall slid open, showing an inlaid weapon bench, where Weiss had obviously spent countless hours. If the well-used tools were anything to go by, Weiss took care of most things herself. "We have a shop in the basement, but if you feel like doing anything standard, my personal station will be just as suitable. The pin is the same as my locker back at beacon."

"I might not trust your family, Weiss, but I don't exactly plan to walk around armed." Blake said, giving her a look. "Unless...do you want me to?"

"Some do, some don't. It's all in the image you want to portray. I'll leave that up to you." Weiss opened even more sliding panels. "This is the wine cooler. I don't use it for anything other than sparkling water and cider, but feel free to add anything you want. Just type in your order. If the cooler reads as out of stock, which it will, one of our robotic delivery servants will bring it right up."

"Robotic servants?" Blake asked, honestly confused. She thought all of the help at the manor were people.

"We only have two, but they do simple tasks by the orders of the butlers, kitchen staff, and maids. You see, my father favors efficiency. It's not conducive to have the kitchen staff come all the way up here just to deliver a glass of milk. Our butlers have better things to be focused on. Robotics take away a lot of that sort of monotony."

Blake felt amusement tugging at the edges of her lips. "Please tell me that the cabin didn't have a number pad like this…"

"Oh, it does." Weiss said with a knowing little smile. "I've made the point to set the computer systems to low priority for their cabin. If Nora does come, I don't want her overloading our staff with her curiosity of what each button does. You know she'll try to press them all. Anyway, over here is the powder room. It's not as grandiose as the one in the cabin, but I think you'll find it more than-" A knock came at the door and her smile faltered. "Hold that thought." She crossed the threshold, answering the caller. "Yes?"

"Ms. Schnee, the master of the house requests your company for afternoon tea." A robotic voice droned from the entryway.

"Of course he does." Weiss deadpanned, giving Blake a knowing roll of her eyes that was lost on the machine in front of her. "I will have to decline. I just arrived you see, and I'd like some respite. Please let him know this."

The automatic servant stood, trying to compute her orders. After a moment, it spoke again. "I'm afraid I must insist that you comply with the master's request."

Weiss bit back a curse that would have been worthy of Yang and smiled simply at the sensors. "Oh, well it must be urgent then, please excuse my shortsightedness. Tell my father that I'll be there, and that I will be bringing a guest with me."

"Yes, very good Ms. Schnee." The robot bowed forward for a moment, before standing straight once more and turning on its heel, marching off with new orders.

Weiss closed the door a little less than gently, letting out a hot breath of frustration between her teeth. "Forcing my hand, not the most subtle of ways to make a point, but effective. Nothing escapes his notice, but it also seems as if he's in no mood to play this out passively, either." She looked over at Blake, and then down at her own attire. "Well, I suppose we should get dressed for tea."

"I don't suppose this will work?" Blake asked, looking down at her clothes.

Not that Weiss didn't find the long white jacket appealing. The cream colored shirt beneath was fitted, but not too tight. Tight black hip huggers kissed her curves in all the right ways. In fact, Blake always carried herself beautifully in whatever she wore. Still, a shopping trip would be in order if Blake had any hope of surviving the ball with dignity intact. This was one war zone that would be won with a checkbook, not weaponry. For now though, there was teatime to worry about.

"My father would have something to say about the lack of a skirt, or at least a formal pantsuit." Weiss replied, as she came over to inspect what Blake had packed. There was a black pencil skirt, but it was far too short. "My father's a stickler for measurements too. When standing with ladylike posture, the end of your skirt should extend to at least the edges of your fingertips. For now, wear your Beacon uniform…we will all need to go shopping at some point for proper ball gowns."

* * *

They had some time before the afternoon tea, so after they dressed, Weiss gave Blake a tour of one of the main sitting rooms. "If you don't mind my asking, how in the world does your family afford all of this?" Blake asked, eyes glued to the floor to ceiling fish tank. It acted as the main visual center piece in this sitting room. "You have a lot of those cabins dotting the landscape, and this huge house, I can't even imagine how you do it."

"It depends how you look at it." Weiss replied loftily.

"Looking…at…fish…" Blake drawled, eyes growing wide like saucers. "Pretty." She purred, ears twitching as she continued to lean closer and closer to the tank, eyeing one of the more energetic looking fish. It was a shimmery blue and red, small but attention grabbing.

"Blake, that's dust reinforced glass." Weiss warned her quietly, dragging the enamored cat Faunus away from the brilliantly colored fish and coral before she launched herself at it. "All you'd do is give yourself a headache."

Shaking herself out of her daze, a shameful blush covering her cheeks. "Sorry…" She waited for the admonishment that never came.

Weiss continued with the topic at hand instead. Wisely ignoring the clearly catlike compulsion to pounce at the glass. "We have several wealthy clientele that travel to Atlas often. We also have business partners all across Remnant. Atlas doesn't have many hotels, and the ones we do have are filled with riff-raff. One thing that's true of the rich and famous, is that they enjoy going on vacation often. Offering a place for the particularly wealthy to stay at a fixed price allows us to run these facilities at cost, or just below it. During family hosted events, guests stay for free."

"Never thought of it that way…" Blake murmured, as they bypassed a huge sculpture that took up the center of the floor. "Oh, wow…" It really wasn't necessary to have something so big just smack dab in the middle of nowhere, but that seemed to be the running theme of the home. Large, impractical, and flaunting money every chance it had to do so. "Please tell me that's not a life sized replica of the Ursa in these parts…"

"I've never see one so large around in this area, so I don't assume so." Weiss told her. "We keep sculptures of Grimm all over this house…god awful and in poor taste if you ask me. Many of them were carved as gifts. I don't know if I care for the morbid implications of such a thing, gifting a Grimm to someone, made of marble or not."

"It does send something of an impression." Blake agreed with a little frown. "Though, I guess so does keeping it in a hallway as a center piece."

"Indeed." Weiss replied dryly. "Don't kid yourself, there's no way you could possibly be interested in my home."

"I'm more interested than you think." Blake said softly, fingers trailing along the smooth carving before they moved on. "As a Faunus, you hear all kinds of stuff about the Schnee family and where they live…seeing it for myself, puts a lot of old things to rest."

"Does it live up to all the hype?"

"No…thankfully." Blake said as a Faunus walked by, tail swaying back and forth. Her fur was unkempt. She looked exhausted. The girl was young, hardly a teenager. Child labor laws didn't apply to Faunus in Atlas, and although Blake knew that, she didn't expect to see a young girl working within the walls of the manor. "But, like with all rumors, there's some truth to them." Blake added softly.

Weiss only let her lip quirk up knowingly. "Her name is Delilah, and before you let yourself go crazy, she's not an employee. Her mother's a well-respected florist, and her father is one of the leaders of the Remnant conservation society. He's in charge of the Atlas branch. She may not look it, but she's poised to take her father's role one day. Her family are millionaires."

"But…I mean how?" Blake asked. " _Why_ would they be here? How could any influential Faunus worth their salt even think about collaborating with the SDC?"

"Her parents aren't Faunus, she's adopted…which, I must admit isn't easy on any of them." Weiss replied with a shrug. "Some people claim they did it out of pity. Or that, well..."

"Just go ahead and say it, Weiss." Blame said softly.

"They say that because her father's a conservation expert, he keeps her as exotic pet." Weiss said guiltily, having heard the murmurs. "I doubt it's anything like that...at least, it doesn't seem so."

"Then, what do you think the reason is?" Blake questioned softly.

Weiss could see the deeper, fearful questions flying around. She desired to put a stop to them the best way that she could. "Her parents probably took her in because they genuinely wanted to. She refers to them as her family during casual conversation, and she's attended every ball for the past four years. They wouldn't bring her along if they were ashamed of her."

"That's a relief." Blake replied as she leaned into her girlfriend's touch.

"You'll get to meet her properly sometime this weekend. She'll be one of many people I'll be doing business with, so gatherings of that sort are important." Steeling herself for the inevitable, she gripped Blake's hand in her own. "On that note, though, it's time for tea…"


	16. Chapter 16: Schnee Manor Day 1, Part 2

Weiss hated tea time.

It was an unmitigated hell of lies and deceit. A time and place where a person shared witty banter with others in an attempt to destroy their enemies later down the line. Weiss ranted about such things under her breath as she gave Blake one last inspection. In an attempt to save as much face as possible, she smoothed even the tiniest creases in the fabric.

What awaited the girls had to have been well planned reinforcements of a civil nature. Though, if it was Ozpin who planned this, or Glynda herself who insisted on it, Weiss would never be brave enough to find out. Instead she greeted her combat instructor with due caution.

"Punctual as ever, girls." Glynda addressed crisply in her usual attire. "Early in fact…quite so."

"To be early is to be on time, and to be on time is to be late." Weiss said offhandedly, such lessons all but beaten into her. "I wasn't aware this was an invitational."

"Under all technicality, it's not. My early arrival is purely business related. Although that's a thin veneer for a great many things, I'm sure." Glynda replied slowly, arms crossing in her usual fashion. "I was told to keep an eye on you."

"If you want to eaves drop, be my guest." Weiss said with a dark little smirk. "Though I can't promise you that anything will be pleasant. Tea never is."

Blake flicked her ears back, feeling like a fish out of water. "You seemed to love going for tea whenever the headmaster invited you."

"That's because Ozpin doesn't have any strange ulterior motives when asking such a thing." Weiss said, a distant frown finding her features. "Going for tea, simply means going for tea. It doesn't include any corporate scheming or questionable perversions…two things that happen more than I care to admit around here. Especially any time a successful older man is involved."

"…are you telling me that…" Blake bit on her own tongue, glaring at the double doors to the tea room with a newfound desire maim any questionable older man on the other side. "That's disgusting."

"It's normal among the upper class, Blake." Glynda said, watching the Faunus perk up a bit. Behind closed doors, they all stood on somewhat equal footing. Formalities didn't simplify anything. It was Ozpin's practice, and thus Glynda's own, to drop them the moment they became pointlessly added rhetoric. "It's very common in Atlas, where women are to be seen and not heard. Weiss had a separate upbringing in that regard. Her father raised her to be more than mere arm candy. Which brings be to my next point. Just what were you two thinking, coming here all by yourselves?"

"We were told to come and attend the ball." Blake shrugged. "So, here we are." Even with her even and carefully delivered words, she could tell her companions could hear the unease. Turning back to Weiss, her golden eyes glimmered something fiercely protective. "There's not really some older man on the other side of that door, is there?"

"Oh, there's someone." Weiss sighed. "There's always someone."

"Indeed." Glynda sighed, knowing she should have expected this. "But that doesn't answer my question."

"I don't want to be a burden. This isn't something I need help with." Weiss explained softly. "Contesting a betrothal isn't wrong. My father can throw any number of suitors at me. He just won't find the outcome favorable." Weiss gave Blake another glance. She worried for Blake's sake, because coming to Atlas couldn't have been easy.

"Burden or not, that's not up to you to decide." Glynda never could figure it out for the life of her. Individually, they were all nice, studious, and accomplished young women. Unfortunately, putting even two of them together promised her countless sleepless nights, incidents reports, and inexplicable amounts of property damage. She let loose a hot breath through gently clenched teeth. "If I've told you girls once, I've told you all a million times. Stop looking for trouble. It finds you all well enough as it is, without you stirring up any further ruckus."

"It isn't as if we had a choice." Weiss sighed. "My father insists to continue his asinine attempt at matchmaking. I can't let him have his way, and he's being more than a little unreasonable. Besides, many reputations are on the line, I know that."

At this, a small hint of pity reached Glynda's expression. "Weiss, you always have a choice, and no one should allow you to think otherwise." It was one tempered with time and experience. "Far be it from me to lecture you on the choices you make in your personal lives. For the sake of concern, however, don't you think you're just a little young to be considering your marital status? You're merely students, and ones with far more to contend with than most."

"I agree." Weiss said. "I'm not ready to get married, I have school to finish. Blake as well. We're not in any rush. My father's the one who saw fit to cast the first stone. I merely replied in kind."

"Indeed…but did you have to disagree with him so vehemently?"

"If he had his way, I would have been married to Cardin before the year was out." Weiss retorted softly, the mere thought still sickening to her. "I couldn't go along with that. I can't let him keep questioning my motives."

"Perhaps not, but you've complicated the matter…although I can hardly say I blame you." Glynda decided to offer her own opinion on the matter as delicately as possible. A near impossible feat, when considering the people involved. "Weiss, you're young enough that you may not know this about the men of our particular fold. However, as I'm sure your sister could tell you, they're bullheaded to the point of stupidity."

"Even Ozpin?" Blake asked.

"Especially Ozpin." The eldest of the three murmured between her breath. "Though, he's never the ringleader that starts the arguments. He merely fails to finish them. The men who hold power in this world at all, believe they know the right action to take. Instead of sitting down and speaking about such matters rationally, most of them charge headlong into their hair brained plans, leaving a mockery behind as a result. Wilson Schnee is not exempt from this."

Weiss sighed, and nodded. "Then…what would you suggest I do?"

"Well, now that entirely depends. Are you trying to mitigate any and all possible damage that might result from the gathering this weekend? Or are you trying to meet your father's level of bluster? In the case of the former, I would attend tea alone, and choose to share the plethora of arguments you have with the man at a later time." Then she gave Blake a glance. "And as for you, I would instruct you to put on a coat, because you'll be coming with me…"

* * *

Blake wasn't afraid of heights, and she was no stranger to espionage. Even so, this was right out of one of Adam's botched plans for infiltration of the Schnee manor…well, if he had ever had the mentality to concoct one…

She certainly prayed that he didn't ever devise such a plan. As she had just witnessed, the security drones were far too easy to befuddle. Glynda sent another one wobbling away mid-flight from her scroll as if nothing had happened. A flawless hacking job in Blake's humble opinion. "How _are_ you doing that?"

Glynda pocketed her terminal once more. "How am I doing what, exactly?"

"Rendering a fully armored and combat ready battle drone, into a child's play thing?" Blake gestured to the retreating target in question.

"Well, that's very simple actually. I have the override codes, and so long as I continue to have them, to me these truly are children's playthings."

Blake nodded, but she was still unappeased. It all begged the question that was lingering in her mind. "Do we really need to be sneaking around like this?"

"As your teacher, it's my job to keep an eye on you when you put yourselves in dangerous situations." Glynda murmured offhandedly. "As a woman, I fear Weiss might be a little young to try and stand on her own merits yet. Atlas still holds very sexist views, and in the eyes of many she's still just a young and brazen heiress. Lastly, as a huntress under Ozpin's command, I'm not at liberty to deny an order such as this."

"So…yes…we do need to be sneaking around?" Blake teetered precariously on the edge of some brick. It was made slippery by the snow and ice, but her impeccable balance kept her upright. Glynda had much stable footing as she commanded the brick directly underneath her to flatten to her desires.

"Blake…you ask the wrong questions."

"Then give me the answers for the right ones."

"Atlas and Vale are tentative allies at best. Peace is a fragile thing, and it's made no easier by Wilson Schnee. He means well, he's just misguided." She returned her gaze back to the window. She couldn't hear the discussion shared between father and daughter, but she didn't need to. All she needed to do was make sure that Weiss exited the room unscathed, and relatively peacefully. "For one man, he holds more geopolitical power than he understands."

"Not that I'm disagreeing with you, but then why are we out here, and not eavesdropping from the ventilation system?" Blake asked.

"My goal was never to listen." Glynda said. "My goal is to watch. If Weiss manages to let control slip, and the discussion becomes obviously heated, I'm to inform Ozpin. He'll knock on the door and properly interrupt matters how he sees fit."

"And we couldn't do that inside?" Blake asked.

"They're entitled to their privacy, what's verbally exchanged is more than welcome to stay between blood." Glynda told her obviously confused pupil. "This is something you must understand, Wilson Schnee holds the dust trade in his hands. One temper tantrum from him, one decision made in anger about removing shipments of dust to Vale, and suddenly our hunters are unarmed, and our forces to battle Grimm becomes much weaker."

"He's not that stupid, is it?"

"It has nothing to do with stupor." Glynda said slowly, her eyes unwavering, not leaving his form. She gazed at him in a way Blake had never seen Glynda look at anyone else. Pity and contempt mixed into something entirely different. "He's not a hunter, and he knows nothing of war. Wilson views dust as purely a trade and little more. Not the tool and livelihood that you and I understand it to be. That's what makes a man like him so dangerous. And why Ozpin would go to nearly any length to keep Weiss in good standing."

"When you put it that way, it kind of sounds like you're using her."

"In a way, I suppose he is, but Weiss understands this. The abuse of each other's power works both ways. As a world leader, Ozpin has all of Vale to think about. Choosing to build ties with Weiss is just common sense. Moreover, choosing to keep her safe and well respected now, gives Vale a foothold in the future. An ally where we might not otherwise have one…"

Blake sighed, folding her ears back against the chill. The day was so cold that snow refused to fall from the sky, and absently Blake reached for her bow that she had nervously put into her coat pocket. It seemed she had a reason to wear it after all to ward away the cold.

* * *

Tea time was everything Weiss expected of her father, and everything she had come to both love and hate about her household.

The tea was splendid as always. The small finger cookies, carefully cut sandwiches, and fruit dipped in dark chocolate punctuated long hours of discussion. Weiss used to love tea time. As a girl, she watched the clock eagerly, because it was the one time in which her father paid attention to her without question.

Her maids would dress her up in frilly new clothes, and her caretaker would escort her to the SDC's main headquarters on the days her father didn't work from home. For a solid hour, sometimes two, it was a time of laughter and frivolity. Studies were forgotten, and they would talk about a great many nonsensical things. Winter would be there too, of course, which only further cemented Weiss's love of allotted family time.

But, as with all things in her life, Weiss grew older and saw the truth for what it as. It was shortly after her thirteenth birthday when she realized she was no longer a little girl. No, instead she was a very young woman, being groomed as her father saw fit. Young boys and their fathers would join for tea as well. At sixteen there were occasionally young men as well, some even as old as mid-twenties.

Weiss took to these meetings with the expected reactions, allowing these suitors to escort her in a respectable fashion.

She showed no interest in any of them, even though many had been quite taken with her. The reason why was simple, though realizing it took some time. She was a lesbian, independent and proud of that identity. Her father could keep throwing men at her all he wanted, but Weiss would never be interested in men. Her father seemed to grasp this after her final letter of denial, when she finally came out and explained her sexuality properly.

This didn't seem to have deterred her father, however.

She was more than a little surprised to see one very flustered and confused Pyrrha Nikos sitting with her parents. The shared tea time went by without any problems, but if one thing was abundantly obvious by the end, it was that neither one of them were particularly interested in courting the other. So, with another failure at finding Weiss a proper suitor glaring him in the face, Wilson insisted that Weiss linger behind long after tea time had passed.

"I could have told you that wasn't going to work." Weiss said with a small smile. "We do live right across the dorm from one another."

"She's also very shy." Wilson sighed. "How was I to know she would be disinterested? She did say she decided to visit because of your personal request."

"She's one of the most straight-laced women on campus. I don't even think it has even crossed her mind to consider the fairer gender."

"A pity, really…" Wilson sighed. "She's quite suitable."

"I've already chosen my suitor…I've given you the details."

"The cute little prank that it was aside, I refuse to believe that you've taken an interest in a Faunus. The mere conjecture is beneath you." He shook his head, unwilling to even dream of it. "Honestly, I don't see what's wrong with Cardin, he's a fine upstanding man."

Instead of make a rather insulting list, Weiss rolled her eyes, clinging onto the major problem she had with all of her male suitors. "He's a man. That alone makes him undesirable to me. I told you, if you insist to draw this out, then at least make my considerations female."

"Pyrrha Nikos is a fine example of the female specimen, she's about your age, and she's respectable. She's everything you've ever asked for, and everything I require you to need in a suitor. If you intend to take over the company, you'll need an obedient and mild mannered wife."

Resisting the urge to laugh out loud was harder than Weiss thought it would be. She would never think to call Pyrrha Nikos mild mannered. The mere thought was absurd. Pyrrha knew how to play the idle games of the social elite, and chose to do so. That didn't make her mild mannered. In fact, Weiss often considered Pyrrha the opposite at Beacon. Like a shark confined to a fish tank. She was friendly, but anyone to truly cross Pyrrha met justice in the ring, and no one in Beacon questioned that.

"Father…she fits the requests I've made, but she still doesn't meet the requirements." Weiss began wearily, almost hating to break the news to him...if anything, he seemed to have given it a proper try to be accommodating, at least in his eyes. "Pyrrha's as heterosexual as humanly possible. Furthermore, she's already in a committed relationship with a boy from her team. Besides, as I've stated before, I've already chosen my suitor."

"I disagree."

"I'm aware, but I'm not willing to change my views on the topic. If you truly are so against Blake as you say, then by all means, keep sending me suitors…though I guarantee you'll only find the results unfavorable."

"That's not the only thing I find unfavorable, Weiss." Wilson said as he rubbed at his eyes. "There's also the little matter of the profit margin, or lack thereof. I looked into the mine that I gave you, and the workers involved there. I suspect you'll be in the red for two years."

Weiss nipped at her lower lip. She also did some future projections, and she came up with different numbers. "Three if I push them harder than I would like. Four if I allow them to slowly acclimate to their new conditions. We did a lot of renovation, and there's still more to do."

"Weiss, that's counterproductive."

"What's counterproductive is letting people live in their own filth, where they're subject to any manner of illnesses and poor moral. Grimm are up in those mountains, and they were swarming below the ground. As far as being in the red is concerned, we can afford to the losses. It's negligible at best."

"There is no we." Wilson stated swiftly. "That shaft is your responsibility, and it must perform to standard if you want the members of our board and the Atlas council to see your merits. If you want to undertake this company by your own hand, you must earn that right and come into power on your own. You're a Schnee, and as one, you have particular duties to uphold..."

Weiss nodded. She expected no help from her father. Not because Wilson wouldn't give her money if she truly needed it, but that he couldn't afford to let her seam weak. She couldn't afford to be in his debt, either. "Then, if that is the case, I will accept the losses out of my own personal coffers."

"That's foolishness. You don't have that kind of money."

"Then I'll borrow some."

"From who?"

"That's none of your concern." Weiss replied, though she already knew that she would run to Ozpin, or perhaps her older sister. In a true bind, there was always Coco as well as Pyrrha. "It's my responsibility, correct? If so, what I do with my money isn't any of your concern."

"You are smarter than this….this…rebellion."

"Is that what this is?" Weiss asked quietly. "Is that what you believe? That I'm some sort of rebellious teenager unable to understand the ramifications of my actions?"

Wilson sighed at length. "The proof is in the paperwork." He replied, placing a folder on the table. Her own hand written letter of explanation the singular and only piece of evidence he needed, though he had others as well. "When it comes to the company, I can admit, I might have acted rather indecorously…perhaps you were not ready to accept the business our family oversees. For that, I accept full responsibility for any emotional upset that might have resulted from my actions…but those actions are my own…the rest of these, however, are yours."

"So that's the only thing you think you've done wrong?" Weiss could only sigh at length. "Father, those conditions were sick…twisted…I've seen street urchins in Vale treated with more respect. You're apologizing to me because you think it's what I want to hear, but it's not. You don't think you've done anything wrong to these people."

"Faunus."

"Father!"

"They're animals, Weiss, every single one of them. Rabid animals that might as well be foaming at the mouth."

"Even still under that argument, you don't beat a dog until it cowers." Weiss shot back. "You don't leave them in their own filth, starving and cold…you wouldn't do that to a dog, so why would you do it to a Faunus?"

He sighed, looking to her as if she were still just a small child, unable to understand the harsh realities of the world. His soft tone was the same. Coddling, and lacking in heat. Only disappointment, and if it was aimed at himself, or her, neither one of them could truly discern. Perhaps it was both. "Weiss, honey, it's just business."

"It's cruelty!" Weiss shouted, standing to tower over the man who'd crossed too far. "And you, you're a monster."


	17. Chapter 17: Schnee Manor Day 1, Part 3

It all happened so fast. One moment, in a fit of anger, she bolted upright to berate her father. In the next he was towering over her, shouting back. The exact phrasing they both jumped to was lost on her, the heat of the moment igniting the time bomb of emotion that the room had become. The combatants standing their ground among the emotional wreckage. Weiss vaguely recalled bringing up her mother, the worst arsenal she could probably use against him.

It hurt him. That was her intent, but there was no satisfaction in the pain in his gaze. Hand upraised, she thought he might strike her, but instead that hand curled into a fist that shook as it lowered. She swallowed thickly before spewing more words from her mouth to drown out his, and that was the moment that upon reflection, had pushed the both of them too far.

All of it was left abandoned to echoes now. Emptiness replaying in the back of her mind. Weaving its way into everything. The harsh breathing that indicated her rage was not alone. It was not solitary. No. Instead, it mirrored his. Mirrored the man she took after. Her temperament, and his, one in the same. Vile and acerbic. Too easily shattered under pressure.

Too often tempted by foolish people. Too rarely apologized for in the aftermath.

The outright name calling, the insults, they'd flung those around too easily…but she couldn't recall them now. What she called him, or what he called her in return. It was muddied. It was outright stupid. It was pointless. It was a great many things that she would turn inward, because she couldn't give him an apology. Neither one of them could back down, they couldn't start admitting wrongdoings.

So instead they stood, feeling the pains of an already tested bond stretch further. They both fought against it, refusing to meet halfway, and they both knew the other shared the sentiment. That made everything all the more painful. They were father and daughter, but it was almost as if they were strangers now, and that was unsettling too. They knew they monsters they could be personally, but to see that reflected in the other, to know they were one in the same...

That hurt too, beyond reason.

"Come now, surely there is no dispute worth all of that ruckus." Ozpin said smoothly. The only level headed one among them. "I could hear your bellowing from across the hall. Hardly what I would expect from the two of you."

"Stay out of this, you meddling old buffoon." Wilson raged onward. "You know nothing about the dishonor she has threatened to bring upon our name. I will not tolerate it."

"Honor?" Weiss could have spat upon that. "What honor do you think we have?"

"More than you perceive." Wilson demanded. "More than you will ever understand, and so long as you don't, you're unfit to be in a position authority in this family, and within this company."

"Stop it, the both of you." Ozpin said, this time a little more weight in his words. "I'd suggest you regain your composure and think before you speak. Acting rashly, even just amongst each other, does not instill pride within the name you both so dearly wish to protect…and make no mistake. You don't see eye-to-eye, but neither of you would dream of tarnishing the reputation your name upholds."

"Ozpin, I'm warning you…"

"You may do to me as you like, Wilson." Ozpin murmured, taking a seat. "I'd just like to remind you that the walls do have ears. It might be prudent to keep that in mind."

Crystal eyes of blue slipped closed, another shuttering breath forcing itself from the recesses of malcontent. Without even opening them, without even looking at her, he found his orders to be direct. Cold. Betrayal fulling what little of his self-control he had left. "Weiss, vacate yourself from my sight until further notice. I cannot even bear to look at you right now."

"Very well." Her voice struggled to keep a natural tone. She doubted she could have kept it up, but she did leave the room, her footfalls loud among the silence. When she exited and closed the door behind her, she expected an inquisition. She didn't receive one. Glynda gently pushed passed Weiss to join Ozpin. Blake stood silently, struggling hard with what to do. If they were back at the dorms, she wouldn't have hesitated to launch herself at her girlfriend.

Somehow, though, she got the distinct impression Weiss didn't want to be touched. That denying comfort was part and partial to what Weiss was used to within these walls.

"He didn't strike me." Weiss murmured. "He could have, but he didn't."

"You sound like you almost wanted him to hit you." Blake said slowly, unsure of her words and her senses. Maybe her ears were still cold, and betraying her.

"A man worth his salt would never lay malicious hands on a woman." Weiss said as she pushed off from the wall and began walking slowly, waiting for Blake to walk by her side before she continued. Even so, she found herself unable to make eye contact. "But I'm not just any woman. I'm a Schnee, and I am everything he doesn't want me to be. Making all of the choices in the world he can't even accept."

"Weiss…were…" Blake shook her head. It was impossible, but still, she was forced to wonder. "Were you looking for a fight with him?"

"No." Weiss said quietly. "Of course not." That golden gaze was far too caring, and Weiss's didn't want to see the concern she knew would be there. "But if he had hit me, it would have meant that his contempt for me was too great. Then, I'd have a reason to hate him…I put aside the rights of my gender the moment I became a huntress. Being struck, and striking in return...that is what's expected in combat. He knows my aura would have absorbed most of the hit…he still refused to strike me…"

"I'm glad he didn't." Blake breathed.

"I hate leaving the matter unresolved."

"Is there even a way to resolve this kind of fight?" Blake asked, stopping Weiss in her tracks. Demurely she sighed, ears folded down in shame. "I never had the chance to fight with my parents about anything that really mattered...so this is new to me."

"I don't know." Weiss said as she continued walking. "I expected a reaction much more volatile than this. I don't know if it's a good thing that he held back or not."

Bake's retort died on her lips. "I saw everything…"

"Indeed."

"Even the long talk you and Pyrrha had…" Blake continued guiltily, but Weiss merely yanked her inside of the bedroom and shut the door behind them.

"Pyrrha makes for easy conversation." Weiss told Blake without a moment's hesitation. "I'm more concerned about what happened after."

"Goodwitch was only trying to protect both of us, deep down, I know that. Either way, it still drives me crazy that your dad thinks he can just shove whoever he wants on you like that….and the fact that it was Pyrrha..."

"Completely absurd, isn't it?"

"Is it?" Blake asked then, the tiny bit of worry lacing her voice.

"Oh my god…" Weiss murmured, slightly flabbergasted that such a question had even come from Blake. "She got under your skin without even knowing it, didn't she?" Weiss pulled her long hair out of its signature style, allowing it to fall free.

"But you've always liked her...admired her." Blake said sadly.

"Blake, this is exactly what my father wants, you have to _know_ that. Pyrrha's our friend…and honestly one of few I can trust that has the sort of money and influence that she has...my father is going to play his odds. He's going to try and twist my arm into seeing other people, that's one of the reasons I made sure Pyrrha would come here."

"So that you can have more dates?!"

"Because you trust her!" Weiss shouted back before sighed, her voice lowering to a near whisper. "Or at least you should..."

She knew that. She should trust Pyrrha. Being jealous of Pyrrha was completely unfounded, or so she told herself the entire time she watched the two of them laughing over tea. There was one small thing though, that left a small spark that ignited Blake's fear. "Being with her is easy for you, your father approves…and you two…you get along great. You have this history, this underlying understanding of how this kind of opulent lifestyle works."

"Don't be absurd."

"I'm not...I'm just..." Blake sighed. "I'm being truthful. You two have all of the things I don't have, and I never will."

"I don't care about that."

"But everyone else seems to."

"Not the people that matter, Blake, they won't."

"Are you sure about that?"

"My father is going to fight this union with every fiber of his being. The only thing I can do right now is appease his bad temper to the best of my ability." Weiss said quietly. "It's a lot to ask, of everyone involved. I won't pretend it isn't. It's unfair to him, and to you, and to everyone he drags into the argument…but we are going to fight about this. We argue about everything that truly matters, and if this didn't matter to him, he would have disowned me by now."

"Do you want to be disowned?" Blake asked.

"No."

"I don't think I can ever bring myself to care about him."

"I'm not asking you to...but he is my father. We knew that this wasn't going to be easy." Weiss sighed. "It's underhanded, but two can play his game. If he's going to get people involved anyway, and try to find me a suitor, I'd rather him get smoke screened by people we can trust...I'd rather him try to force me to spend a few hours with Pyrrha, someone we both know we can trust, than someone like Cardin that we both can't."

"Weiss, can we just…" Blake felt tired, her head was hurting, and the pang in her chest was disturbingly hollow and unpleasant feeling. "Can we just…laydown for a few hours and just pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist?"

* * *

The sheets were oddly sterile, though Blake expected that was what came of a room that was hardly being used anymore. The bed was very comfortable, but it was large, and the divide seemed impossibly long between them. She felt sequestered and locked away, the indescribable feeling of being forced to draw back within herself was something that had become almost alien to her.

Joining and living among the other members of team RWBY changed her life. It had crushed the walls and barriers of emotional distance that Blake had grown used to as a young girl. Being reminded of that repression now, being tempted to withdraw inwardly was a terrifying thing.

Her fingers curled into a gentle fist, grasping the sheets. Desperately trying to stop herself from reaching out and pulling Weiss into an embrace. She wasn't sure the girl wanted comfort right now. If she wasn't more intent on punishing herself for some terrible sin. This household encouraged such a barren, empty space, where even simple emotion could not be afforded.

"Blake..." Weiss said slowly. "It's just us here."

The dark haired woman took it as an invitation. The only one she would likely get, as she crossed the small space still left between them. Legs tangling, they both comforted themselves in the warmth of the other. Weiss soothed instantly, her shoulders slumping inward as she curled into the warm body in front of her.

"It's already starting to get dark." Blake said then, looking at the window.

"The sun sets early in Atlas."

"Why is that?"

"Our location in proximity to the north. Our days are shorter, our nights are longer. Atlas is known for nightlife, neon lights littering the sky and blocking out the stars. It's a shame, that's why we don't live near the south of Atlas. We pride ourselves of being far away from the pollution that impedes the view of the sky." Weiss began, the sleepy sound of her voice a true testament to her own stress about being home. "I still don't think we're far enough away though. The sky is actually more clear in Vale, or maybe that's just because we've traveled far enough away during our training."

"Do you enjoy being out in the wilds like that?"

"Yes. Much more than I thought I would."

"Even if it is just a short term goal?"

Weiss opened her eyes, looking up at Blake. "Being a fully-fledged huntress would earn me a great deal of respect. Enough so, I'd imagine, that running a company would be something I could do as well as continuing to travel."

"Mm." Blake sounded softly.

"Even if I was just only a huntress though, I don't think I would grow to hate that sort of life." Weiss continued thoughtfully. "It might be undignified in many ways, but it feels right, being out there in the forests with the rest of you."

Another knock sounded at the door, and Weiss disdainfully extracted herself from her warm escape from her bitter cold house. Blake scrambled to upright herself as well, smoothing out the wrinkles in the sheets, doing the same to her skirt. When Weiss opened the door, she found her father standing on the other side.

"A word please." He said, the phrase clearly not a request, but not a crude order either. It hovered precariously between the two places, his annoyance clear, his confusion perched atop it.

Weiss seemed to linger, before her words acted like a sword once more. "That entirely depends on whether or not you choose to greet my future mate properly."

Blake very nearly swallowed her tongue. there was no accident in phrasing matters in such a way. She was surprised, comforted, and idly wondering if Weiss had officially lost her mind. She forced herself to gulp down the silence that followed.

"This regards that." Wilson said, obviously very perturbed. "Allow me entry, this is not the sort of conversation meant for the hallway."

Weiss allowed him in before closing the door behind her, locking it once more. "This is Blake Belladonna, my letters detailed her qualities at length."

"So they did." He replied darkly, though he gave Blake a onceover. She wasn't entirely unpleasing to the eye, all except for those blasted ears. Yet even he was not a blind man. He could accept her shapely figure as one to be appreciated, even if he was not the one to do so. She belonged with her own kind, and he still felt that way, strongly in fact. She was not suitable for Weiss, and never would be. "The displeasure is all mine."

"Oh, I'm sure you believe it is." Blake said softly. "I promise you, the feeling is mutual. Though if we must share words of that nature, I'd rather that we didn't do so in front of Weiss."

"I have absolutely nothing kind to say to you. I merely came here to speak with _my heir_ about this particular sleeping arrangement." He gave Weiss a very unhappy look. "It's hardly suitable, keeping a woman of the night in your room with you."

Blake gave him a dirty smirk, at least he didn't demean her heritage. He had very politely called her a whore, though, as if the concept would go right over her head. She'd been called worse in her lifetime. She didn't think twice about his acidic commentary on what he presumed the two of them did behind closed doors. Instead she pressed the advantage.

"Weiss asked me to stay by her side for the duration of our visit." She said, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend's waist…fingertips resting on a slender hip. "I'm not leaving unless she tells me to do so."

"Don't give him any ideas, he's concocted enough of his own." Weiss chided, though she didn't move from her place. "Father as…" She struggled to find the right word. "As repulsive as it is that you assume I'd take such…liberties…the fact of the matter is, we share a room in Beacon, and we often times share a bed while camping. I do not intend to change this practice simply because you presume too much."

If possible, his gaze turned colder still. Unhappy, dangerously so. "It is not my assumptions you should fear…"

"As you say this, Winter will be arriving tomorrow with a gentleman caller of her own. We all know what she gets up to, she makes no excuses for her own wants and desires. You have never once denied her this right when she had returned home." Weiss refused to accept the double standard. "I've now decided to welcome a caller to my own, and there is nothing you can do to dissuade me from my decision."

"Your sister is among different ilk. She's of a different status, now." Wilson sighed, his teeth clenching back his ire. "I'm telling you, keeping a woman in your bed is not a very wise choice to make. Why don't you listen to reason instead of arguing against me all the bloody time?"

"I'm arguing because the request itself comes from unreasonable expectations."

"Weiss, your sister is lesser than you now. She has chosen to be a bootlicker, to place herself on a lower pedestal. These are choices she made, but it came at a grave cost to her reputation in its own way...you cannot afford to make the same sort of mistake."

"Then the answer is simple." Weiss replied airily. "If you want me to remove Blake from my room, inform Winter she should not have such visitors in hers." Weiss told him, unwilling to bend in any other circumstance. "If you hold Winter to the same sort of scrutiny from here on out, I will do the same with Blake until after we are married."

He knew he would have to pick his next few words carefully. "You are much younger than your sister."

"An adult, regardless of my age."

"Weiss, it's alright you know." Blake said evenly. Not because she wanted to sleep in a different room, but because she hoped it would settle down the irate male in the room. She knew she might never win over his respect, but bitter toleration seemed a near thing. With the way he measured his words, he was trying his best. She thought maybe, she would take the risk and try. "I really do think, in this case, he really does have your best interests at heart."

"Blake." Weiss began. "You're staying. End of discussion." She eyed her father, wondering what he might do in face of her outright defiance. If he would finally lose his temper and cast her aside. She was testing the limits of his kindness, or at least what passed for the barest edge of civility. She would give him the same as she stepped forward. "Maybe you do want what's best for me, but I've already decided what that is. Blake is not leaving this room."

"There is no way that you could possibly harbor feelings for a brazen seduct-"

"Don't!" Weiss said, looking up at him. The complete and total fear in her eyes something that force him to silence his words. "We both know you're clinging to that insult because you refuse to say what's really on your mind in front of me." There was anger too, lingering in those stunning blue eyes. "If you can't say that…then…please, just don't say anything at all…"

Blake flattened her ears back against the shrill order that wavered as it broke the air. "Weiss…" She was sure neither father nor daughter could hear her. She reached out and pulled the shaking shorter woman into a backwards embrace.

The sight sickened him, but he left it for what it was. "You've…had a difficult time recently." He said then, his words softer, but no less firm in his opinion. "The problem is, Weiss, you bring it upon yourself. It will only be more difficult should you choose to go down this road."

Weiss could hear his footfalls, but behind closed eyelids tears burned. It was amazing how easily he could shatter her without realizing it. Without understanding the harshness of his words. The apologies laced within his tone used to be good enough, but just this once, she wondered if it would be. Maybe his retreat had been the highest of graces she could expect from him anymore.

Choosing to leave instead of demanding his way.

But Blake as always was warm, and strong, and everything she needed when she could no longer hold herself upright against the chill. She buried herself into her love's shoulder, quiet sobs stifled as murmured apologies flowed one right into another.

* * *

Weiss had a family. One that wasn't blood, but probably understood her better. Or, at the very least, they tried to understand. Blake found that the love of her life forgot that sometimes.

The cat Faunus tended to the fireplace in the cabin, while Ruby and Yang nursed the emotional wounds that Blake couldn't mend by herself. She wasn't dumb enough to think she could, even though she would continue to give it her best try over, and over, and over again, until one day she got it right. Until then, she would have to make due with relying on Yang's sunny disposition, and Ruby's determination to help ease away the doubt that payed in that all too analytical mind.

But there was more support too, someone unexpected.

"Don't take it too personally, kid." The deep voice replied from his place at the nearby cabinet, refiling his glass. "Your dad's a well-meaning asshole. I don't agree with half of the shit he says, but we all have to go to hell in our own way…and you know what they say about that. Paved with good intentions…" He swigged from the drink. "I got to hand it to him, he tried his best."

"You know her dad?" Yang asked, gawking at her uncle. "Like, personally?"

"I know her pain in the ass for a sister, don't I?" Qrow asked with a smirk, meandering over to the coffee table and sitting on it, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Look, I'm not going to sit here and praise the jackass for upsetting you. He's a bigot, and you're right not to agree with his practices…but take it from me. Raising a couple of girls isn't easy. Tai barely survived these two when they were lil-shits, and I wasn't exactly the best role model either."

"Gee, thanks." Yang muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"My point, is that you lot are a bunch of hell raisers on a good day." Qrow said, giving Yang a playful punch on the arm. She returned it in kind, nearly knocking her uncle over in the process as they shared a grin. As he righted himself, he took another swig. "Tai's used to you kids giving him weekly heart attacks, but he's close by. You get hurt at Beacon, he can be there within the hour…that's not the case for her dad, and trust me. If his hair wasn't already white, you four would have made it that way."

Blake returned, and Yang scooted to the side. Making room for Blake to squeeze into the cuddle pile that had overtaken the sofa. She would have lifted Weiss into her lap, had it not been for a sleeping Ruby, who saw fit to cling onto her partner as if her life depended on it. Blake settled for putting an arm around the both of them, letting her fingers toy through the messy strands of brown and red atop Ruby's head.

"At least he wasn't willing to say what he was truly thinking to my face." Blake said softly.

"He was derogatory enough as it was." Weiss protested.

"In the female vernacular, yes…but not as a Faunus." Blake would give him credit for that. "I've been called much worse than a brazen seductress or a lady of the night before."

"That might be true, but some four letter words are simply too far." Weiss told her. "Even if they were only eluded to."

"He might not have called you something akin to your heritage, but he was probably thinking it." Qrow shrugged. "Anyway, you two can take his bullcrap to heart if you want. Wouldn't blame you if you did, but blood is thicker than water. There isn't a damn thing Weiss could possibly do to make the man hate her."

"How can you be so sure?" Weiss asked, her tears long since dried, but her upset still clear as day. Even if she disguised it as anger and annoyance.

"You're his kid, and he loves you. I'd doubt him on a lot of things, but never on that." Qrow shrugged. "He may have his head up his ass, but that happens to the best of us. He'll either dislodge it, or he won't, but that isn't your responsibility. Just because you can't fix stupid, isn't an excuse to be stupid in return…take this as a small victory, and relax a little bit."

* * *

To the outside observer, it looked like eight teenagers simply being teenagers.

Anyone who knew teams RWBY and JNPR, knew better. They were tenacious youth, the lot of them. Children with the gull to toy in an adult's world with a fearlessness that was only matched by their bloodline prior. These eight came with pedigrees that demanded trouble, either in bloodline or in reputation, and in some cases, both. They were the sparks to many powder kegs, and the cause of more property damage than Ozpin knew what to do with.

Then again, when one looked over at his current companion, half in the bag, and reeking of stale booze, it was no question as to why. "Dunno why you called me in for this bullshit, Oz. All they're doing is planning a game of hot-potato, with Weiss as the potato."

"While that seems harmless, I suspect otherwise." Ozpin replied at length, leaning heavily on his cane. "Then again, with that particular group, it isn't a suspicion. It's a guarantee."

"Hey, I give them a lot of credit. They want to light a few fireworks up Wilson's ass, I think you should let 'em."

"I called you here to keep your nieces out of trouble." Ozpin replied sternly. "You have people you care about invested in the outcome of this situation. A little teamwork would go a long way in keeping everything running as smoothly as possible."

"Yang and Ruby aren't slouches." The man grumbled. "They can fend for themselves. Hell, I'd like to see that pompous bastard get on Yang's bad side…might remind him of why he never pisses off Raven."

"That is _exactly_ what I'm trying to avoid." Ozpin replied. "When it comes to recklessness, the apple doesn't fall so far from the tree...or in her case, the whole forest."

"Don't go getting all snarky with me. It's not like I'll tell her to go bash his face in, but you know, his funeral. If he wants to screw with the people she cares about, not even I can hold Yang back for too long." He kicked his feet up, giving Ozpin a long and measured stare. "Yang plays nice up until she doesn't…smart kid, learned that from me."

"Which is my concern." Ozpin drawled slowly. "Qrow, you and Winter have an understanding amongst each other. Although the two of you bickering like children is a common occurrence, we all know the truth. That you two share words at all, is a testament to your mutual respect of the other. The same cannot be said for Yang or Ruby, both of whom are being thrust into the deep end of the shark tank, so to speak. I'd have thought you'd want to offer them your protection."

"I get it, Yang's a loose cannon, and you don't want her firing off if it can be avoided." Qrow shrugged, letting the preamble go in one ear and out the other. Taiyang had given him a similar rant about not encouraging trouble. "You do realize you're asking the impossible here, right? There's eight of them, and one of me."

"Twelve, actually." Ozpin corrected then with a solitary little smirk. "Team CFVY are also going to be in attendance, and you're to keep tabs on them all."

"You're pissing in the wind, Oz." Qrow said with a roll of his eyes. "You better hope it's not going to blow back at you."

"With all due respect, I wasn't the one who started the match." Ozpin replied, agreeing to the crude sentiments. "I will, however, be the one to finish it."


	18. Chapter 18: Schnee Manor Day 2, Part 1

"Weiss, this is completely crazy." Blake leaned in to protest at the rows of boxes that had been placed in a huge fitting room. "I can't go through all of this." They were of assorted sizes, some contained shoes and others held accessories. There were racks upon racks of dresses, all aligned by color and fit. Finally, there were several smaller alcoves with a curtains for changing. "It's too much."

"This isn't all there is, either." Weiss replied then.

"Please tell me you're joking…" Blake murmured, though she knew that blue eyed gleam anywhere.

"Actually, those are just the ball gowns." Weiss explained, though she was starting to wonder if perhaps this sort of shopping trip would be a little too overwhelming. Coco had tried to make things easier, having scoured the store first for only the best of the best. Now, it was up to Blake. "Over on that rack in the corner there's proper evening attire too, of which you'll pick at the very least five outfits, and then at least three semi-casual tea skirts."

"Of all the asinine bullshit…" Yang groused from her changing room, as she stepped out in one of the black, shimmery dresses. "Weiss, is this really called for?!"

The white haired woman needed to only glance at it to know it was all wrong. When her eyes lingered, she became aware of the plunging neckline that was borderline indecent. She should have expected it. "With that abomination…yes. Team RWBY will be abiding by a very strict dress code. We want to be among the best dressed for the occasion."

"Oh come on, Yang. Stop bitching and get your tight little ass back in the booth." Coco chided, reaching out behind the curtain and dragging Yang back inside the dressing room.

"Um…I really think this is a bad idea." Ruby said shyly. "I mean, do we all need so many clothes?"

"To keep in the manor, Ruby, yes." Weiss sighed, knowing that the bill was going to be a rather large some of lien. "Though you and Yang only need one ball gown, one set of formal attire, and one tea skirt each."

Ruby sighed, she feared as much. "Today is going to suck…"

"It won't be so bad, Ruby." Velvet said, walking up to the rest of the group. "Sorry I'm late. Nora has a bad case of static cling, Pyrrha is sorting her out."

"The dry cold air of Atlas strikes again." Weiss said under her breath before waving the matter off entirely. "Its fine, for the next three hours, we have run of the entire store." Weiss rolled her eyes when she saw the get-up Velvet was wearing, torn jeans and a baggy hoodie. "What the heck happened to you?!"

"Have you ever seen the sort of winter hats they make for rabbit fauns? They all look ridiculous, but I hate walking around in downtown Atlas with my ears out. It's too cold, so I put up with this." She pushed back the hood, showing off a head band that push her ears flat against her head. She was even more grateful to pull the headband off, smoothing out her sore appendages. "Have you pick out some dresses yet, Ruby?"

"No." The youngest sighed in distain.

"Well, then off we go…preferably before Coco gets ahold of you." Velvet sighed, hearing Yang shouting obscenities about something. Though what that was, could be anyone's guess and Velvet didn't care to stick around long enough to find out.

Even though they were alone, Blake felt pressured. There were stones tumbling around deep within her belly. Nerves acting up in ways she couldn't even begin to articulate. All of the clothes were of amazing quality, but the sticker price reflected that. Coco and Weiss assured them all that this store was on the cheaper end of such shops. Catering to the rich and famous came with the clout to charge higher prices.

However, as Coco had complained, although all of these dresses were made by high value production lines, they still weren't originals.

Blake held the fine cloth between her fingers. It demanded to be noticed and taken into consideration. Surely, Blake wasn't worth all of this, was she? "Weiss, I can't ask you to buy me any of these things."

"You're not asking." Weiss told her. "But you're still going to let me buy them for you, because you're going to need a wardrobe that suits life in the manor."

Blake took a breath. She normally shopped at the nearby hunter's outlet stores. She wasn't completely without a sense of fashion, which helped her with her own style, but her outfits were mostly comprised of whatever was cheap enough to grab. Therefore, it was with extreme discomfort that she gazed at all of the figures on each and every price tag. Some had three, some had four, others six…was this really the sort of opulent life Weiss expected them to live?

She needed to start small, away from the insanely expensive ball gowns. She went over to the eveningwear. Blake found a simple dress, what one might coin as a little black dress, in a cocktail sort of style. This was…cheaper…still absurd, but far less so than the items before it. "For…the eveningwear then, maybe, something like this?" She said quietly. "Is it…too much?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Yes, so don't worry about the prices. Clothing comes out of a different account than my business account."

"How many bank accounts do you have?" Blake edged, her voice cracking.

"Five…although many are tied to…stipulations." Weiss replied. "My personal checking account is obviously mine entirely to do with as I please…It's to help me build a line of credit. There's not a lot of money in it. Probably closer to what most middle class families have. I also have access to a small business account made for SDC related ventures, that's monitored carefully, of course. I have one shared savings account with Winter that our father doesn't know about, she made it in case I got into trouble…the last two are…well…" Weiss hesitated.

"You don't have to say…"

"Unfortunately, I do." Weiss said. "One's a savings account I share with my father, he puts money in for me. Most my expenditures come from that one. The last account is a private one. I set it up in Vale. No one knows about it. My father and Winter can't monitor the transactions. If there ever became a time I would need to distance myself entirely from my family, I needed to make sure I had the means to survive…so, one day I started taking small portions of my allowance and putting it into the savings account in Vale…"

Blake felt conflicted. "I still feel as though you shouldn't be spending so much on me."

"Blake, please, this particular lien is disposable income…and I know you feel like there are hundreds of other ways it can do the world some good…and you're right…there are." Weiss said uneasily at best. "But, there's something I've learned. The rich and famous don't take poverty seriously enough sometimes. Unless they take us seriously, though, you and I have no chance of making massive global changes down the line."

"You're...probably right."

"I know I am...and I know you don't like it." Weiss said, pulling down a long deep-wine colored gown. "So let's just put aside the apparently outrageous expenses of the life I lead, and get started."

* * *

The large group of shoppers returned to the manor in time for dinner, but mealtimes were stressful affairs.

The games had begun, but Blake was none too pleased about the fact that Weiss was effectively sandwiched between Coco and Pyrrha. Not that Blake found her situation any better. The seating arrangement the rest of the way down went Fox, Velvet, herself, Ruby, Yang, and the massive Yatsuhashi at the very end. The two Faunus at the table kept protected by the joint efforts of the teams.

Blake withheld a growl, teeth biting a little too roughly into her meal, with every ounce of due agitation aimed at the men sitting across from her…or rather, the man sitting directly across from Weiss. "I am going to murder him…slowly."

"Just let Coco take care of this." Velvet murmured back.

"I'm still going to murder him." Blake whispered back, as she tried to drown out the debate going on near the other end of the table.

"That's why you're sitting here, instead of next to Weiss." Velvet said. "Calm down."

"I _am_ calm..."

"You're chomping at the bit." Velvet hushed. "Just breath."

Uproarious laughter tore them from their private conversation.

"All I'm saying, is that Vale's a little too lenient when it comes to dealing with all of the degenerates running around. White Fang are at large, acting like they own the place." Cardin replied as he enjoyed his meal. "I'm a hunter, it's my job to help keep the peace."

"You punched a deer Faunus in the face." Jaune deadpanned from his place on Pyrrha's other side.

"He was being loud and disorderly."

"Uh, actually, pretty sure he was just screaming in terror."

"I simply put the order back into place." Cardin smirked. "Someone has to do it."

"Quite right." Wilson, as always sat at the head of the long table. "Never fault the actions of a man who chooses to take it. Even if the outcome isn't perfect, it's still far better than standing idly by."

"Frankly, we weren't standing idly by. Pyrrha and Jaune had already saved the stolen crystals." Ren said slowly, his voice relaxed. "I was attempting to handle the thievery quietly. We had no proof that it was that particular gentleman that did it. Nora and I were making inquiries."

"And I was doing the same." Cardin shrugged.

"Polite, non-violent ones." Ren responded dryly.

This caused Sky to laugh. "Ren, you're a good man, but you're just too soft on the Faunus."

"Or perhaps you're just willing to respond rashly." Ren replied.

"The dust that was stolen was marginal at best." Weiss could feel the tension in the room. Thick, and unsightly. "My team and I looked into it afterwards."

"Yes, you did." Pyrrha recalled. "It turned out that it wasn't even a Faunus that stole the dust, correct?"

"Indeed, it was a set of humans, two of them, to be exact. One male, one female." Weiss looked up, her acidic gaze aimed directly at the male across from her. "The man you assaulted was merely caught in the crossfire. He had no affiliation to robbery, he was merely at the wrong place, at the wrong time."

"How did you figure that out, did you give Blake the bag to sniff?" Cardin asked.

"Don't even validate that with a response, Weiss." Coco said smoothly, grabbing the dainty hand of her friend from under the table. A signal to stay put. "This one's mine." Coco said leaning forward. "Listen buddy, I don't care that you hate Faunus, or even if you've punched one in the face, guilty or not. That's on you, not me, but you know better than to insult my mate or my friends…so you bring Blake up again like that, we're going to have a problem."

"It was just a question." Cardin said.

"A valid one, truly." Wilson nodded. "Faunus do have heightened senses, after all. It would possibly prove a worthy tactic."

"Come on, Schnee, don't be encouraging him, just because you've got a chip on your shoulder." Coco laughed darkly. "Hey, Cardin, what really grinds my gears is that you're the type of guy that thinks he owns the ground he stands on. That just because daddy's rich, you can do and say whatever you want…news flash, you can't. Pyrrha can kick your whole damn team around the arena, and I can do the same…but if we're really looking for a laugh, might as well toss Weiss in there with you. Show Wilson here just the caliber of man you are…"

"I'd gladly do it too." Weiss replied dangerously.

"That's purely because I wouldn't strike back. You're a skilled huntress, I don't deny that, but the fight wouldn't be fair." Cardin replied. "I'd never lift my hand to you."

"Now that's a load of bullcrap!" Yang said, hand slamming down on the table. "You pick on our teams all the damn time, just last week, you sent some poor first year through a glass window…and never mind the stunt you tried to pull with Ruby. I kept quiet because she asked me to, but mess with her cookie plate again, and I swear I'll-"

"Please excuse us." Yatsuhashi said with a bow, palm still firmly over Yang's mouth. He was the only one strong enough to wrestle her away without causing a scene.

Cardin paid the ruckus no mind. "Weiss, I just thought you should know, I've always been enamored with you."

"And that concludes my appetite." Weiss said, standing from her chair, and placing her napkin on the table. "I'm sure Blake has heard quite enough of this as well. We shall be going to the tea room now for some respite." Weiss replied, stepping over to Blake's chair, and offering to escort her. "If any of the ladies at this table would care to join us, it would be an honor to have you…gentlemen, I'm sure my father will have you for cigars and brandy in the smoking room."

The flock of women retreated quickly, as if hell itself were nipping at their heels to walk faster.

Ozpin sighed at length. "Well, that could have gone a little more smoothly." He said, sipping from his water glass. "Mr. Winchester a word of advice. When you choose to woo a lady, consider her pride. If she also just so happens to be a huntress, saying that you would not strike her in a sanctioned duel is an insult to her abilities."

"My daughter simply tends to be poor company as of late." Wilson said then. "It's not a reflection on you, Cardin."

"Actually, it kind of is." Jaune said. "No offense, man, but you are kind of a jerk to the girls."

"Hmm." Ren agreed. "Weiss and I don't speak at length often, but I do find her to be of pleasant company so long as she hasn't been provoked. A little kindness and understanding would go a long way."

"Yeah, no kidding." Qrow said from his place. "So, uh, about that brandy?"

"Ah, of course." Wilson stood. "If you would follow me, I have some of our finest imports to offer." He had a plan. He knew it would be difficult, but he couldn't give up…

* * *

It wasn't a complete disaster, but calling dinner a success was pure ignorance. Blake had hardly eaten, her fork in a white knuckled grip, wishing all manners of misfortune to befall the man responsible for making life for most of the student of Beacon complete and total hell.

"It will be alright, Blake." Nora said with a knowing smile. "You don't need to worry so much, I mean, if we've got to, we'll just beat him up when we get back to Beacon."

"I'd rather not be given any more detention than we've already acquired." Pyrrha replied, eyes narrowed in her agitation. Dealing with Cardin was always an unpleasant experience. "That said, should he accept a duel in front of the class…well, overdoing the matter just a little might be in order."

"You must be pissed." Yang said with an upraised brow. "Though if you want some help, knocking some heads together…"

"Well, I wouldn't go quite that far, but to use the expression, my feathers have been thoroughly ruffled." Pyrrha paused to give Blake a tired, sidelong glance. "My apologies for any offense."

"None taken." Blake growled.

"You okay Blakey?" Ruby asked from her place beside Nora. "You've been pretty quiet this whole time."

"Fine." Blake grumbled.

"Her potential mate's being compromised…there's only so much of that one Faunus can take." Velvet replied gently, standing behind the stress cat Faunus, trying to work the kinks out of her shoulders, or at the very least, placate the rising scent of rage wafting off the woman. "I don't expect humans to understand the delicate nature of our customs, but no one…and I mean no one, gets in-between what's ours."

"Yeah, but ripping that bastard's head off isn't going to help anything." Coco retorted. "Weiss, for the love of god, sit down, you've been pacing in circles for the last half-hour."

Weiss looked up from the floor where she had been glaring intricate lines in the rug she paced upon. Licking her lips, she found no words for the conflict going on in her brain, so she merely resumed pacing.

"Yep! I'm going to beat him shitless." Yang decided right then and there.

"Yang..." Ruby voiced shaking her head.

"You don't understand." Blake said gritting her teeth. "None of you do."

"I think Velv knows pretty well..." Coco replied, but her lover denied that instantly.

"It's different for me Coco..." The rabbit Faunus had no way of knowing the true depth of Blake's ire. Only that it was there, and seething. "Blake's in no position to correct Cardin for his actions."

"I don't see why the hell not." Yang huffed. "Blakey, you want me and Nora to go knock some heads together? Say the word. I don't have any problem cramming Cardin's pride where it belongs."

"Quite frankly, I'd fancy sending him through the nearest metal blockade possible myself." Pyrrha replied. "Part of his charm, I'm sure."

"And they call Faunus violent…" Velvet sighed in admonishment. "It's not about beating the daylight out of him, though I'm sure that would be cathartic too, in its own way. It's an assertion of dominance. I'm sure to you, it seems like a bloody, vicious act. However, Faunus heal quickly, surface injuries might leave scars, but our battles over territory are mostly harmless tiffs."

"So pin the guy to the wall, already." Yang shrugged.

"Is it that easy?" Ruby asked. "I think you've all done that before."

"We have our pride, Yang." Blake said slowly. "Faunus can't…correct humans...the way we might correct our own kind. It would be seen as a violent, animalistic act…" She looked over to the woman she loved, the worry in her blue eyes clear as day, the sadness lingering too. "Besides, even if I could, I promised Weiss I wouldn't let my instincts rule over my actions if I could help it."


	19. Chapter 19: Schnee Manor Day 2, Part 2

Remnant was a complicated place to live in. Full of conflict with little to no resolution. The peace treaties held together by the major world powers stood upon an unbalanced foundation. Speculation and fear among the leaders of that power made things even worse. Atlas had wealth. Military power wasn't a question of lien. It was only a question of how far gifted minds could take the given technology, and how quickly new technology could be invented.

It was what made such a convoluted place so well respected among the liberal powers of Remnant.

Truth be told though, the world leaders were all restless. Sitting on the cusp of war as the terrorist activities of the White Fang became demonized stories of what Faunus were capable of. By choosing the path of fear mongering, they had given the people of Atlas all the more reason to view them as mindless, rabid animals. Weiss didn't know it, but her actions at the ball would have far reaching repercussions if she were to announce her desire to wed a Faunus.

Ozpin supported the girl, but then again, the man was so liberal even Qrow often questioned the man's sensibilities. Ozpin's leadership over Vale reflected his mindset to the best of his abilities. The other world powers, most notably the people of Atlas made notice of this. It was a point of contention and friction between Vale and Atlas. James Ironwood himself even voice his concern over allowing the White Fang to rally for peace with one hand, while the other continued to cause unquestionable destruction with the other.

The entire debacle was enough to drive a man to drink, and Qrow did, unflinchingly.

He had been told to keep Yang out of trouble…to keep them all out of trouble, but it wasn't quite that simple. This wasn't about rending a Grimm in half. He could have done that no questions asked. This was different, a delicate matter, and Qrow was not the sort of man one usually tasked with such fragile situations. He was the sort of man that valued hard won experience over words of wisdom, and though he had a great many things to teach, it wasn't his place.

He settled with what served him best, the school of hard knocks and drunken philosophy.

"Hey, look, I get it. You want to protect your team, and give a big ass middle finger to anyone who screws with you." He said with a shrug, a bottle of the cheapest whiskey he could find on the table, poured over the rocks to lessen the burn. "That's not a bad thing, but your ass is still too small for the britches you're trying to wear. You don't have the sort of reputation that lets you just fly off the handle and do whatever you want."

"Flying off the handle would be like searing Cardin's big stupid face into the table." Yang groused unrepentantly. "Man, he just pisses me off."

"Marks for creativity, but, I doubt you'd get praised for restraint."

"Look, I get what you're saying, but if Cardin keeps screwing with my friends, he'll regret it. Plain and simple. It's not a threat, it's a promise."

"That's kind of the problem." Qrow deadpanned. "Yang, keep your head down. do us both a favor here and kiss a little ass. You'll thank me later."

"I. Can't. Do. That." She gritted out.

Qrow was not a daft man. He was no mathematician, and he left the role of fortunetelling to Ozpin, but he had the senses of a bloodhound. He knew when trouble was brewing, he could sense it, track it. With all of his years of experience, he could feel the riptide of abrupt change in the air. It was by no means a subtle thing, but the origin wasn't exactly obvious unless one looked directly at the epicenter of it all.

The Schnee family. The bloodline was one bloodbath after another.

"Can't Yang? Or is it just that you won't?"

"Can't." Yang said, the word bitten off entirely.

With an upraised eyebrow he gave her an annoyed look. "And just why the hell not?"

"You don't even want me to start." She told him.

"No, I don't." Qrow agreed, as he grabbed two clean ice cubes and plunked them into an empty glass. "Problem is, it's not about what I want." He poured a hefty dose of the liquid courage inside, passing it off to his niece. "Story time, kid. Listen up. A long time ago, I was about your age. Your mom was still around back then and we all thought we had a damn good thing going…and frankly, we did. Some of our little group didn't see the worth in that. We got caught up in our own heads, acting on what we thought was justice…I don't think I have to say this, but your reputation precedes you, and that's not entirely your fault."

Yang shook her head, eyeing the liquor. "I already kind of guessed that."

"I'm not done." The man groused at her, two fingers pointed in her direction, as he lifted his glass to his mouth. "Your mom is like you, cocky, protective. Doesn't put up with bullshit. Difference is, she's violent, deadly."

"And this applies to me how?"

"I'm getting there. Now look, she's not satisfied with a little structural damage and a fair fight. You wrong her, she's out for blood, plain and simple. Cross her just once, you won't forget it…back when we were your age, we were crusaders too. Had several Faunus friends, and lived among them. We wanted to help them fight the good fight, so to speak..."

Qrow trailed off, taking another slow sip before setting down his glass. "Atlas shares a difference of opinion, and back then, it was worse. Winter's not a Faunus hater, she was young back then, but not stupid. She wanted to meet a few of them. One was a young man about her age, gifted hunter-in training. He was an owl Faunus, the feathers on his head were snowy white, but he couldn't hide them very well. Winter was taken with him, but Wilson didn't like that."

"Naturally, he confronted her." Qrow sighed, shaking his head. "He was drunk and mad. Winter was hardly a teenager, but she was quick to fire off with a temper back then too. She drew her sword, Wilson answered in kind." He poured himself another drink, his gaze lingering on the table before he looked up and eyed Yang. "Winter was inexperienced, and Summer Rose got between the scuffle to protect her. That's when things got messy. Wilson backhanded Summer Rose just once, and Raven lost it. Wilson was in the intensive care unit for three weeks. Your mom almost murdered him. Took me and Tai to drag her off his bloodied body."

"Yeah, but I'm not like that." Yang shot back.

"Point is, that night had repercussions. For example, Winter stayed away from Faunus after that completely until she entered into the military."

"I might get angry now and then, but not that angry." She was holding her own glass in her hand, cringing as she sipped it. Maybe that was fitting. The distaste of the whole damn evening something she might remember well. "I'm beat the crap out of Cardin, not kill him."

"Until someone crosses a line and you go on the offensive." Her uncle murmured darkly. "If Raven wouldn't have lashed out, I would have. It's the Branwen blood. You girls are tough, all of you. Raven and I were stupid enough to forget that Summer Rose could easily take care of herself. We should have let her. She knew what she was doing, and we got in the way of that. It was costly. Ruby and the others, they can take care of themselves too. You need to remember that, and keep a clear head."

Yang felt a shiver go down her spine, but she took a long harsh breath, suddenly feeling the urge to gulp down the burning liquor more quickly than before.

* * *

There was nothing worse than an airbus that was late to arrive, and Taiyang was exhausted. He hated Atlas with a passion, visiting only when he needed to, and never a moment longer.

Bad memories lingered here, worse memories threatened to be made. He was a man committed to his vices. Sex and empty promises, alcohol and hangovers, all of it equating to disappointment in the long run. It didn't stop him from keeping this glacial woman warm. Though, she had hardly any warmth to return to others. It was an easy trade. Her time for his. A moment of forgetfulness. Doing away with responsibility, and simply existing.

Winter Schnee wasn't looking for love or commitment. She was a goal driven woman, and happy to leave it at that. She was simply looking for a reprieve in-between the long months of military duty, and he was happy to give her that. Thankfully, she wasn't searching for his soul. Taiyang doubted he had one anymore. They were good friends, supportive of each other, accepting the sexual favors on the side as mutual benefit.

It didn't matter where they were though, at the end of their evening, he would normally go back home, to his own bed…or wherever his bed happened to reside.

That's why he found it strange when instead of kicking him out, Winter invited him to stay. She almost begged him to do so, in a flippant sort of way. She made him some tea, poured just a tiny bit of top shelf whiskey inside. She handed it to him before letting her hands wander across his broad shoulders and back, tracing scars of battles long won.

"Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but you don't have to butter me up." Taiyang said with a smirk.

"You think you know me so well, don't you?" Winter replied, but that didn't stop her wandering hands. "Who says I'm trying to butter you up? I could just be enjoying myself. It's been almost a year since our last encounter. That's a bit of a long time, don't you agree?"

"We've gone longer." Taiyang said to her, feeling her heave a sigh against his back. "I've never gotten a backrub after sex, not out of you, anyway. That was something Summer always did, and I know the two of you gossiped all the time. I'm going to ask again, what do you want?"

"I'm worried, Tai." Winter said. "I don't know a thing about this Belladonna girl."

"Don't you think you should ask Weiss?" He asked, but he felt Winter stiffen under the question.

"She's not as open with me as your daughters are with you."

"Sounds like a personal problem."

"Weiss ceases to express herself under pressure. Communicating through troubled times has never been our strong suit. I don't think she'll lie to me, but omissions of truth are the Schnee family way." Winter reached for her silk robe, draping it loosely over her shoulders. "What I do know of the Faunus girl, frankly, frightens me."

"Because she's a Faunus?"

"Because she's a runaway of the White Fang! Please, give me more credit than that." Winter protested darkly as she pulled away, arms crossing over her perky bosom. "I'm not a brainwashed idealistic twit. I understand that they're teammates, and that Weiss trusts her. She's likely not a mean spirited induvial, Ozpin isn't that foolhardy. However, there comes a time when even I have to be concerned over the choices Weiss makes. You must know something about this girl, and I'd appreciate if you could cut my concerns off at the pass."

Taiyang made a soft sound, taking a deep breath. He considered the question slowly, having only had seldom and brief encounters with the young Faunus woman. "I think she's rough around the edges. Agile and cunning, bit of a shy one. I'd say almost to the point of being anti-social. Yang says I'm wrong about that, but Blake doesn't hang around long enough for me to get to know her. Qrow visits Beacon more often, I'd bet he'd have a better gauge on her."

"Just tell me this, do you think Weiss is doing something unreasonably dangerous?"

"You mean, do I think Blake would betray them?"

"No…" Winter frowned deeply. "The White Fang acts out with anarchy, I have to know if Blake is a target for assassination. Would they lash out and target her? By extension, would Weiss be targeted, as our family has been in the past?"

"They go looking for trouble, Ozpin lets them." Tai said, trying to recall any details about that particular matter, finding everything to be a little foggy. "Your guess is as good as mine as to what kind of attention that gets them. I think it would be wise to assume that they've all made targets of themselves. The more they continue to act out, the more reasonable an attack on them will be."

Winter was highly unimpressed with the assessment, but what else could she expect? She closed her eyes and leaned back heavily against the pillows. "I was afraid of that."

"Yang says Blake's just a quiet person, and she's a good judge of character. I'm sure if you met Blake halfway, she'd probably make an effort."

"Yes, of course." Winter agreed, though it didn't please her in the slightest bit. "I suppose a discussion is in order...I just don't know how to go about finding out what I need without it seeming like an interrogation."

"So, just do it and get it over with." Taiyang shrugged. "After that you can clear the air. God knows that's what Yang would do if Ruby ever found someone...guess it's some sort of big sister privilege or something like that."

"And what would you do?" Winter asked.

"When Yang found herself a boyfriend I gave her a box of condoms and prayed she actually used them. If Ruby ever got a boy friend...I'd fall flat on my face."

"Thanks Tai." winter sighed with a roll of her eyes. "You're a real peach."

* * *

Blake was angry, justifiably so. Keeping a level head was harder that she expected it would be. Silence was her only answer to the fuming rage bubbling within. She forced out a ragged breath as the hot shower water washed over her. She didn't know how long she stood under the spray, thoughts idling, worries spinning. Her lament was on the tip of her tongue, all of the things she wanted to say weighed heavy, like cannon fire waiting to protrude from beyond her lips.

A low, quiet but visceral growl loosened itself, straining at the back of her throat, as if it wanted to become a deep yowl. It was a strange feeling, this ire. Aimed at no one, and yet at everyone.

Distractedly, she turned off the running water, grabbing at the soft fluffy towels. One she wrapped around her body, the other she fiercely scrubbed along her head, grumbling as her ears were pressed flat and jostled roughly from beneath the fabric. It was on the verge of painful, her mutterings and curses indicated this. She couldn't bring herself to go easy on the pressure, jaw tight, locked in place when another growl threatened to rip through her.

Getting dressed was no easier an affair as she scrutinized her entire being from the bottom up. She was not an unattractive female, and when it came to her Faunus heritage she had the gift of being more inconspicuous than most, but the little details were there. Glaring her in the face, crudely reminding her that she was not human. She would never be human. The truth was in her teeth, her eyes, the soft downy peach fuzz along her body, softer than most, but slightly thicker too. As if fur once rested there. It was in her every movement, graceful and reflexive.

None of these traits alone were enough to give her away. Combined, and with a cat's ears completing the fact, there was no denying what she was.

She growled back at the image in the mirror as she tossed on a pair of black flannel pajamas, undoing the buttons distractedly, seeing the gold in her eyes and thinking that those probably gave her away too. After nearly chomping down on her toothbrush, and snarling her way through brushing her long hair, she finally felt enough like a person to exit the bathroom.

Making her way out into the bedroom felt impossible. Weiss was sitting there worriedly, eyeballing her in a mix of confusion and fear.

She tried to soften her expression, but failed to do so, and settled for two clipped words. "You're mine." The same thoughts haunting her all through dinner. "Not Pyrrha's, not Coco's, _not Cardin's._ " Blake said, working herself back up to the insecure and curious ponderings that had nearly drowned her in the shower. "Mine...and your sire doesn't seem to understand that."

Weiss sighed, dragging herself up from the bed. "He'll come to understand." She said, reaching the distraught woman who was dripping droplets of red on the floor without even noticing. "Blake…"

"I'm not some sort of rabid beast. He might not be saying it, but he's thinking it. I saw him looking at me. At Velvet. Looking down his nose at us like we were trash. I might look like a cat, but I'm _not_ an animal…and I don't understand how in the hell he's managed to maintain a position in Atlas for this long when this is how he treats people. It's absolutely rev-" A kiss cut her off, soft fingers prying her numbed hands open, the scent of blood finally reaching her nose as she looked down to the nail marks imbedded into her palms.

She had no words for that…and Weiss didn't seem to either, though the shorter woman marched her right back into the bathroom to rinse off the blood from the already healing wounds. They were both quiet as the faucet ran, dragging sheets of red down the drain, watching at it turned pink, and then clear.

"I wouldn't blame you, if you turned around and went right back to Beacon." Weiss said quietly. "I don't think anyone would."

Blake nodded, it was a near thing. Their relationship was fragile. These sorts of burdens were heavy against it. These emotions would not survive untested and unscathed. Blake had no illusions to it, but experience was harder than theory. "You wouldn't come with me, would you?"

At first Weiss stood motionless, but she watched as Blake turned off the tap. "No." She said quietly. It was hard to say, but it was the truth. "I wouldn't."

"Then I can't leave." Her hands were sore, but healed due to the power of her aura. She just wished her head and heart didn't hurt the same way. "I want to, but I can't. It would only hurt more, and this is agony."

Weiss felt a wave of relief, but it followed soon after by remorse. "It would be easier of we both walked away from all of this, but I feel like if I did that, I'd just be turning my back on all the people who helped me get this far." She licked her lips, they were dry, felt like stand paper. Chapped from the cold that balm couldn't protect them from. "I've made too many promises, I can't just start breaking them."

"I'm not asking you to. This is not your fault." Blake said, swallowing hard. "I'm just…pissed…and right now, there's nothing either one of us can do…so I'm just going to be pissed, and we're both just going to have to deal with that."

"Is there anything I can do right now that'll help?"

"Outside of causing a scene?" Blake asked, shaking her head. "It's…just instinct. I know you don't understand that. Outside of beating the shit out of Cardin, there's not much that'll curb this besides time to cool off. He made a pass at you, at my promised mate. Even worse, he did it maliciously. He doesn't even care about you, and there he is, treating you like a piece of meat. It's disgusting." She grit her teeth, closed her eyes, and let out a low, guttural animalistic sound. "I want to rip into him like you wouldn't believe, and I don't mean in the arena. I want to tear him to shreds, show him what happens when you truly cross a Faunus pushed to the brink….and that's wrong too."

"Would you settle for just cuddling in bed with me instead?" Weiss asked tentatively, fingers reaching up to trace the curve of Blake's cheek and jaw. "We...we don't have to talk if you don't want to. We can just lay quietly, listen to one of those audio books you like."

Blake's eyes were still closed when a few tears slipped out, nodding into that gentle caress lost for any more words. "Yeah..." She forced out quietly. "I'd like that."

Weiss's lips met hers briefly, the tender contact was soft and fleeting. It didn't dampen the anger, the jealousy, or the fear, but knowing Weiss was honest and trying her best made it seem bearable.


	20. Chapter 20: Schnee Manor Day 2, Part 3

They laid there quietly for a long while, basking in the quiet as the late night fell upon them. The first few chapters of the audio book went by quickly, but then the two women began to lose interest. Weiss turned it off, when quiet murmurings had finally taken over as their activity of choice.

They talked about nonsensical little things. Tiny matters that just didn't need much consideration. They fired questions back and forth, steering clear about touchy subjects. There were so many things to say, all of them seemingly unimportant. They fell asleep that way, shared insecurities looming over both of them.

That night dreams and reality were messy things, edging ever closer to what might be called nightmares.

Blake woke from that uneasiness several times. It was the third time, or perhaps the fourth, when she finally gave in. Sitting upright and swallowing hard. Peering into the night, seeking out the outlandish things her mind feared might be there, lurking in the shadowy depths of the room. Clarity came only after a few blinks cleared the fog. Her heart ached when she glanced over at Weiss, imploring her to wake up wordlessly. As if those crystal blue eyes would notice all of the unease tormenting her Faunus girlfriend and flutter open.

Weiss didn't wake up, and Blake made no sound, no move to jostle her.

Like the Faunus she was, predatory instincts at the forefront of her abilities, she made her way across the room and grabbed a warm coat, slipping out onto the balcony that Weiss obviously never used. The buildup of snow and a long sheet of ice promised that it was never even considered. Then again, Weiss tolerated heights, but she didn't love them and didn't go out of her way to see the high overhangs that Blake often did.

The snow glistened against the sky, but it was of no comfort to Blake, not even the beautiful view could quell her now. she hunched over the ledge, to the ground below, looking outward unafraid of her balance.

The door slid open behind her with much less tact, and Blake noticed the soft, somewhat annoyed sigh that was aimed at her. "You look like a gargoyle."

"Thanks for the complement." Blake whispered, as if speaking any louder would destroy the otherwise pristine atmosphere.

Weiss didn't hesitate to crunch the snow and ice underfoot, and she had even less restraint as she shattered a few of the icicles that were low enough to get in her way. It sounded like ice clinking and shattering delicately against her palm. "What in the world are you doing? Are you trying to make yourself sick?"

"I was just thinking." Blake said. "I couldn't sleep, so I came out here."

"In subzero temperatures?"

"I suppose so." Blake shrugged. "We are out here, aren't we?"

"Your lips have lost what little color they normally have, and your ears are exposed." Weiss pointed out, already shivering. There was no comfort in that biting voice as she reached up and pinched one Faunus ear none too gently. "See they're already going numb. Get inside before you catch a chill."

Blake looked up, palm reaching to check, only to prove Weiss correct. Her ears were exposed to the chill, and Blake noticed that she was, indeed, somewhat cold. "I didn't even think about that."

"Well, think inside." Weiss breathed, gesturing animatedly towards the door, ushering Blake into the warm household. "What complete scatterbrain goes outside in the middle of the night without at least dressing for the occasion? You could have gotten frostbite."

Blake shivered when Weiss felt hot to the touch. It only proved how distracted she was, and how long she had been standing out in the cold. "I was preoccupied."

"What were you thinking about anyway? Furthermore, why couldn't you have done that thinking in bed?"

"It was the sort of restless thinking, you know, the kind you get after a bad dream."

Weiss sighed at length, half pushing Blake towards the bed, half forcing herself to find some measure of control over the situation. "What was the dream about?"

"It was just a dream, Weiss." Blake said sadly. "Nothing else. Not really."

"If it's nothing, you won't mind telling me then."

Blake hesitated as she bit down on her lower lip. "You want me to tell you?"

Weiss only nodded in the darkness of the room. Only her lamp stayed lit, and even that was put to the lowest setting. They settled back down into bed, personal space completely cast aside as Weiss laid her head on Blake's chest, making sure she didn't drown her girlfriend in a sea of white hair as she did so. "So, this dream of yours? What was so terrible that it could drag you out of bed at this hour?"

"My old leader, he used to reprimand me a lot. I had a lot of power in the White Fang, but he had more. When I did something he hated, he corrected me. That was the kind of thing I was dreaming about." Blake began. "In my dream, his face was just dark, with all of these repressed emotions. He used to make that face right before a big mission. It was the same face I saw him with when I left. Sometimes, I just can't get his face out of my head."

"Naturally the first thing you do is dream of the White Fang." Weiss could feel the headache coming on. It stabbed her between the eyes. "Not that I don't understand the humor, and I do see the irony. Trading one tyrant for another isn't the wisest choice."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be." Weiss said, somewhat insipidly. "I am beginning to understand the sure magnitude of the SDC's wrongdoing. What bothers me is that you dreamed of something like that, and you didn't think to wake me up."

"It wasn't that I didn't think of it. It was that I thought I shouldn't." Blake said, arms wrapping tighter around Weiss. "When I left the White Fang, it was horrible Weiss, and I'll openly admit that."

"I suspected something of the sort." Weiss murmured, inclining her head to get a good look at Blake. "Why dream of him now, though, of all times?"

"When I abandoned him, a shipment of dust was involved. SDC dust, to be exact." Blake sighed. "I still feel guilty about that. When you get right down to it, it's all just bad memories. They're too recent to fade completely."

"I can understand that." Weiss said simply, her voice a tad prickly under the implication.

"I don't know if you can." Blake said softly. "You never actually _did_ anything wrong, and I've done so much that I just can't atone for."

"I've done plenty that you don't know about." Weiss said, closing her eyes and cursing herself. "Trust me, I know all about inopportune places, and straying thoughts."

"At the time, when he told me the plan, I laughed it off. Called it crazy." That, Blake realized, was probably the worst mistake she could have made. "I mean, we had stolen huge shipments before, but those were all from unmanned shuttles. There was no one to hurt, no robots to get in our way. We'd just take the shipment and go." Blake laughed sadly then. "It's amazing what a few cheetah Faunus can do at top speed."

"I don't want to hear it." Weiss murmured. "Blake, I've told you several times before, I don't care what you've done in your past. I feel as though I'd simply rather not know the details."

"My dreams are the things I regret most. I never wanted to hurt anyone." Blake admitted, her voice quiet. "I thought that we wouldn't. That we'd fight to disarm, get the dust, and go. That the only casualties would be a few machines and maybe a few workers scared shitless. I never thought it would turn violent for the sake of it. The worst thing is, I still dream about it. I can see it clearly…I'll bet you anything, if he saw us together, he'd say that I was your pet."

"It's not true." Weiss lifted herself up fully, turning to Blake to look at her properly. "That whole pet thing, you know I don't see you that way, right? You have to know, it's not true."

"I do know that." Blake nodded ever so slowly. "Realistically, I've got to know that. I have my own sense of pride."

"You don't sound very prideful at all." Weiss chided as she flicked her long strands of hair over her shoulder. "In fact, you sound rather doubtful."

A long held sigh fell from Blake's lips. "Weiss, listen you weren't the first person I've entered into courtship with. The first person was my old leader, Adam." She pushed herself into a sitting position too, grasping onto the dainty hands of the girl she so deeply cared for. "Things weren't good between us when I ran away from the White Fang. It ended on bad terms, and I couldn't do anything besides run. That was the only choice I had, but that doesn't sit well with me."

"Blake, I don't understand, where is this coming from?"

"A place in my heart I should have told you about sooner." Blake murmured. "I'm sorry that I didn't, but really, there wasn't much to say."

"Then why are you saying it now?"

It was a good question. A wonderful one, really, but that still didn't make the answer any easier to bear.

"Because I'm scared, Weiss." Blake admitted. "It's an abstract thing, the thoughts going on in my head aren't words. They're ambiguous feelings. Your dad really got to me today. All he's doing is playing mind games, but even so." Her ears flattened back, her voice cracking harshly against her words. "He scares me, more than anyone else I've ever encountered. Even more than Adam, and the thought of Adam…" Blake shook her head. "All of this makes me want to go on the offensive, and when I get like that, I end up scaring you." Blake curled in on herself. "I don't know what to do anymore."

Truly, in all of this, there was only one thing Weiss wanted in that moment and for her foreseeable future. "If you want to make me happy, just stay by my side. That's all you have to do."

* * *

Glynda Goodwitch was a night owl and had been for as long as she could recall. It was her job that kept her up at night, it always had, no matter what her mission seemed to be. As a student, she was kept busy by monitoring her peers. As a huntress, she was the first to wake and the last to sleep on missions. As a teacher, she simply had too much to do, and so little time to do it in.

Although she wasn't much of a sleeper, she did enjoy the solitude. Even more, she enjoyed considering the near impossible, amusing herself on more than one occasion when she managed to guess correctly on any number of topics. One such quandary sat in front of her now, every bit the fine young woman expected of her station. "So, your parents took a fancy to Weiss, correct?"

"It isn't that they like her, it's that any family would be foolish to turn down a proposal to Weiss." Pyrrha said with an unhappy little groan. "Honestly, I find this whole matter to be inconvenient."

"Wilson still played into our hands quite nicely." Glynda said with a knowing smile. "He'll try anything to keep Weiss as well away from any Faunus. He's too pigheaded to see the truth."

"My fear was that my mother and father would consider the arrangement. It was a slim chance, but my father doesn't care much for Jaune. I know they would care less for any woman, but Weiss is an exception to almost every rule." A disgusted shiver slid up Pyrrha's spine at the mere thought. "In any case, they had to at least humor the topic out of respect, even if I wasn't about to go along with it."

"Believe this or not, although I'd advise you keep it to yourself, the Arc bloodline have a history of late bloomers. Mind you, Jaune is the slowest on the uptake that I've ever seen. They have long lasting aura and generally defensive semblances that make them powerful in the military. They come into their own as adults, especially the men." Glynda sipped her tea slowly. "That is to say, your father isn't unimpressed with Arc blood. Jaune is a gentle soul, lacking in the militaristic honor of his predecessors."

"The Schnee semblance is also hereditary." Pyrrha said. "With Atlas technology, choosing a spouse based on gender doesn't quite hold the same ramifications it used to. I feared they might see Weiss as the better option. It was, in my mind at least, a rational fear to some degree."

Pyrrha cared for Weiss dearly as a friend and fellow huntress, but that was strictly where her interest ended. As huntresses, they had grown used to lacking personal space. Sharing questionable arrangements came from circumstance, not desire. It helped that the feeling was mutual. They could share such enclosed spaces, implied tea gatherings, and any other inconvenience, because Pyrrha knew Weiss wanted nothing more from the occasion.

Their families, in Pyrrha's mind at least, would always be the unpredictable wild card.

Glynda only chuckled to herself, some long standing and distant amusement seemingly lost on Pyrrha. If the confused glance was anything to go by, the young huntress in training still didn't quite understand all of the motivations her parents kept close at hand. "To me, that was never a concern. Your parents have always been worldly people by nature. Your father has his hand in enough dealings to know where the SDC's motivations reside." Glynda said conversationally. "I've known them since before you were born. I've never once thought they would bend to the influence of Wilson Schnee. I doubt they ever will."

At this, Pyrrha smiled a little. "Well, it would have been rude not to at least take tea with the head of the Schnee family. Especially when he went to such lengths to try and appease my family's taste in rare and expensive refreshments. He went to great length to import many of them from our homeland."

"I'm sure your parents fawned over every single one."

"Yes, they did."

"It's nice to have such thoughtful and socially aware people as parents, isn't it?" Glynda said with a small smirk that wasn't completely fake.

"To be honest, I truly doubt you want me to answer that question properly." Pyrrha replied, only slightly dissatisfied with the current situation. "It helps that I consider Weiss a good friend. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here at the manor."

"That's true, you don't normally amuse these functions. However, your attendance is invaluable, and I'm sure you're well aware of your position. That being said, I assume all is going according to plan?" Glynda then asked, crossing one leg over the other in a somewhat relaxed fashion. "All of the pieces are put into their proper order, as I instructed?"

"Coco and I have prepared to the best of our abilities." Pyrrha said then.

"I should warn you, Ozpin suspects something." Glynda frowned then, sipping from her warmed drink once more. "Act with caution, we cannot involve any of the Beacon faculty in our operations. No one can find out my involvement with Black Jack. Doing so would make unsuitable waves in our cause."

"On that topic, Weiss intends to attend the next meeting of Black Jack, if Blake lets her. I've never met someone quite so over protective as Blake before. I wish there was some way to convince her that we aren't quite as ruthless as the White Fang. Perhaps if I spoke to her for the sake of the group. That might help."

"I'm afraid not." Glynda said with a shake of her head. "Unfortunately, we are that ruthless."

"I don't make the connection." Pyrrha sighed.

"We might not make the same sort of messes, and we certainly don't inspire anarchy. Even so, what we do isn't something for the faint of heart. It requires commitment, understanding, and most of all, it demands a particular level of respect." Glynda mused aloud. "Our actions may not be violent, but they are heavy handed. The leader chooses not to show herself because doing so comes at a risk. Lastly, many of us have training that make us deadly, and that cannot be forgotten either."

"What should I do to help Blake accept the group?" Pyrrha asked.

"For now, nothing. We should bide our time."

"And what about Blake?"

Glynda merely held up a hand. "Don't concern yourself too deeply about the matter. Blake's fears stem from her personal history, I assure you." She stood, smoothing her skirt and gazing at Pyrrha with just the slightest tilt of her head. "Continue as you have been, but be careful. We don't want to cause any unnecessary risks to anyone."

Pyrrha nodded. "I understand."

* * *

Weiss blinked in the darkness, amber eyes twinkling back at her. Blake was studying her, keenly aware of how restless Weiss had become.

Blake was the one to shatter the silence. "You can't sleep, can you?"

"Being well rested is imperative."

"You've been tossing and turning for the last hour."

"Would you believe me if I told you that I have frequent bouts of insomnia?"

"Only on missions, and when something's bothering you." Blake sat up, clicking the light on, though it truly wasn't needed for her sake. "Even then you exhaust yourself, and then sleep like a rock."

"I am a huntress, being able to stay awake and alert for days at a time comes with the very principle of being a huntress." Weiss replied defensively. "That said, I am finding it difficult to settle my thoughts. Besides, even if I were to sleep, it would only be for an hour or two. My day needs to start earlier than normal to prepare for the day ahead."

"Your day starts at five?" Blake wisecracked.

"And yours at six to be prepared for breakfast at seven sharp." Weiss replied.

"These parties sound like a joy to be had." Blake deadpanned, highly unenthused.

"Would you like to come someplace with me?" Weiss asked then. "We'd have to dress warmly of course, but there is one place I know of that's perfect for restless occasions such as these."

"Lead the way." Blake said as she dragged herself from the warmth of the bed.

They dressed warmly and headed out on foot, walking a good distance in the dark, arm-in-arm. The SDC's grounds were expansive, and Weiss knew plenty of places to hide away from her father's prying eyes. She had grown up wandering these grounds with her older sister, and had many fond memories of simply bonding on one of their long walks. It might not have seemed like much. Yang would probably scoff at what the Schnee siblings considered bonding, but to Weiss those moments were precious, and sorely needed.

She found the same to be true in this moment, leaning into Blake as they enjoyed the cold temperatures.

It was less oppressive than the household, very few prying eyes, and very little in the way of security at this time of night. All of the personnel were crowding the entry to the manor's entrances, and the boarders of the grounds themselves. Anything in-between that had security posted few and far between. The solitude in and of itself was worth it. Weiss knew exactly where she wanted to go. One of her favorite places to be.

The stables.

Her family kept some of the finest horses in Atlas, and though she took great pleasure in gifting them carrots as she passed them by, she noticed that Blake was far less comfortable. She looked over her shoulder. "It's the smell, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Blake asked, her Faunus ear flicking thoughtfully. She had been trapped in her own mind again.

"Well, we are in a stable." Weiss replied nervously. "I was beginning to wonder if some of the smells were the cause of the rather deep frown on your face. We work hard to socialize all the horses here, they're very friendly."

"I…" Blake shook her head. It was rather unpleasantly pungent to her senses, but, she had grown used to strong sensory data of all kinds. "No, it has nothing to do with that. It's just got me thinking, that's all." Her eyes flicked over to one of the guard dogs resting in the straw. Unlike Zewi, he didn't pay Blake any mind. In fact, he didn't seem to care about much at all, as he rolled over onto his back and let out a yawn.

Against Blake's greatest wishes, Weiss noticed, and worst yet, she commented. "So, do you hate all dogs then, or just Zewi?"

"It's complicated…" Blake began, stepping forward enough to stand side by side with one of the small foals. It began to nibble on her shirt, and she grimaced as she forced the young animal to stop, pointing its nose away from her. "Or, rather, difficult to put into words."

"Could you at last try?" Weiss asked, concerned.

"The way I see it, animals don't belong alongside people." Blake said then softly. "I don't hate dogs, so much as I hate what they represent to the people that own them. I feel the same way about every animal. They're living creatures, and they deserve the lives in which they were intended to live. They weren't meant to be domesticated."

"You certainly didn't seem to mind the fish tank." Weiss pointed out. "Those are pets too, under all technicality."

Blake sighed. "That's true, I suppose. I am okay with keeping the fish, but that's my predatory brain at play. If I had my way about it I'd probably…" Blake shook her head, she didn't need to give voice to that already appealing thought. It would only encourage her desire more. "Never mind."

"They're tropical fish meant for display. They probably wouldn't taste very good." Weiss pointed out, unwilling to let Blake avoid the truth of the matter. "Honestly, I always wanted a pet growing up. A dog, a cat, even just a bird."

"Really?" Blake asked. She had suspected, but had never truly been sure.

Weiss nodded. "My father hated the idea, of course, so I never had the chance. I never stood a chance getting a dog, but I'd always wanted one. I never pressed the issue until Winter left. It was so lonely all the time."

"That's the problem." Blake said.

Some three and four letter words left a bad taste in Blake's mouth. There were several times she cursed domesticated animals. Thanks to them, humans tended to degrade and humiliate Faunus habit. She couldn't understand the fixation of keeping a pet. Although, she supposed if a person were to be denied contact from their own kind, then that might cause them to seek out another form of comfort.

Someone facing even the slightest bit of neglect might turn to an animal. Lonely souls, if desperate enough, would look anywhere. Though Blake never said it out loud, that was exactly how she viewed Zewi. Ruby and Yang loved the creature dearly, and they treated him well enough, but in the end of it all, that was for their own good. It could have been any dog. It had nothing to do with Zewi, or his own wellbeing. He was just the lucky pick.

In her eyes, he was merely a comfort animal. A tool for emotional gain, little more. It was cynical, perhaps, which was why she kept such opinions to herself. She knew not all Faunus shared her point of view, and that most humans didn't either.

"Why is that a problem?" Weiss asked, drawing Blake from her thoughts once more.

"What you need to understand is, I'm not human, but I'm not an animal either. I stand in this strange, sometimes confusing duality." Blake shrugged then. "So keeping that in mind, I feel as though animals make my life harder sometimes. Some pets are just complacent, like Zewi. He doesn't mind being kept like pet. For the ones that aren't complacent though, let's just say I have a firm understanding of how strong an instinctual drive can be."

Weiss gave it some thought, then nodded. "Honestly, that kind of mindset never occurred to me."

"You're a human, Weiss. Why would it?" Blake laughed a little before turning thoughtful again. "It can be torture to refrain from your instincts. Humans try to train out behaviors that they find unsatisfactory, but that's not fair. I know how hard it is to repress those things. I do it every day, but at least I understand why those instincts can be negative. An animal doesn't. Animals and Faunus, we're both tortured by narrow-minded humans, we're brethren in that way."

Weiss nodded at this, her eyes drawn to the cat ears atop Blake's head. The spectacle was one that continued to amaze her, and in some ways, frighten her. She had no way to know about the depth of those instincts, not truly. Still, she had to concede the truth of the matter.


	21. Chapter 21: Schnee Manor, Day 3, Part 1

Weiss and Blake snuck back into the Schnee family manor well before the crack of dawn. The white haired woman only shushed a few of the maids in passing, some of them giving the heiress knowing looks. Blake wasn't sure what she thought of the Faunus staff, but, she didn't like to see them all tittering on like children. She squared her shoulders back, standing somehow taller, or at least appearing so, as one hand fell protectively onto the small of her girlfriend's back.

The action alone made the household staff back off and silence their snickering.

They walked quietly through the halls, in hopes of not waking those deep in slumber. Since almost all of the guests were humans, this was not a difficult task, and Weiss opened her door to allow both of them to slip inside without incident. With the forceful click of the lock, she smirked to herself. She forgot how fun sneaking around her household could be.

Then she turned to Blake. "You should get some sleep, it will be a busy day with a full itinerary." Then, Weiss frowned. "My day more than yours." She sighed looking at the clock. "My day starts now."

There was no time to waste, she had prepared reports for her father, and he had likely reviewed them by now. Knowing him, he likely added his notes on subject matters that she didn't care to discuss. Yet, unfortunately enough, discuss them she would, and to great length.

"Now?" Blake asked, dragging Weiss from her thoughts. "It's still early."

"To start with, I have a meeting with my father before breakfast." Weiss began gently. "You aren't allowed to attend. It's strictly business, and nothing more. I'm hoping to gather more funds from the SDC's investors."

"Sounds riveting." Blake deadpanned idly as she moved to sit on the bed.

"Our day truly begins with casual yet decadent three course breakfast. It will be served promptly at seven in the morning. Soon after, Winter and I will host mid-morning tea for the ladies. A business-casual lunch will be held at noon sharp. The afternoon will be rounded out with flower viewing in the gardens, complete with refreshments. Dinner shall be a black tie affair, served at five-o-clock on the dot. The ball begins at eight and will last well into the night."

"So, in other words, a busy day full of snobby rich people…" Blake sighed, already dreading it.

"To put the matter as politely as possible, yes." Weiss nodded. "You do have to attend mealtimes, but the tea and the flower viewing aren't events that you must attend."

"Let's just take it a step at a time, shall we?" Blake asked, already starting to feel her palms sweat.

"You have to make sure you allot time to dress for each meal. For breakfast any of the skirts we bought will do. For lunch, and dinner any of the dresses will do. Before the ball, I'll help you into the ball gown we purchased."

"And what should I be doing right now?" Blake asked with a bemused smirk.

"Sleeping." Weiss said earnestly. "Trust me, you'll need the rest."

* * *

The morning of the Schnee family's famous ball all was a busy one. Guests were coming in from miles around, and several of the snooty upper-class didn't take well to Faunus at all. The ones that did kept them as maids, and ordered them around as if they were lesser beings. Then again, in the eyes of Atlas, Faunus were lesser beings, it was merely that simple.

Breakfast was a long, annoying affair, lasting well over two hours. Very little pleasant chatter could be found among the rows of people, and several speeches were made that Blake let float in one set of ears and out the other.

She sat quietly, just as Weiss seemed to expect of her, noticing that the other young bluebloods didn't seem to be voicing anything either. More than a few wedding announcements were made from betrothed couples who had been arranged since birth, and only had just come of age. Others made speeches praising Atlas Academy itself, and General Ironwood said a few short words about the direction the military would be taking in the future. Ozpin spoke briefly on behalf Vale, offering only a brief mention of Beacon.

All in all, Blake suffered the meal quietly, alongside an equally silent Weiss.

It was shortly after breakfast that Weiss had been called away by her father, but she didn't quite trust the guests in the household to treat Blake honorably. Coco's group offered to keep Blake accompanied until Weiss returned, and truth be told, it was an all too welcome distraction. Everything was tolerable, at least at first, but the morning began to spiral out of control quickly.

"Here comes trouble Coco, on your sixth." Velvet said from her place beside Blake, looking over to the hallway. She could see a well-dressed man complaining, and knew it meant trouble as she watched his hand lift in the air, poised to strike at his Faunus servants.

Coco looked over her shoulder. "Oh, that asshole." She said quietly, though both of the Faunus nearby heard her perfectly. "I should have known he'd be here, dickhead."

It was after a particularly young cat Faunus faced harsh reprimand that the sights and sounds in the house grew too much for Blake. Her own golden gaze watered, commiserate with those of young forest green. The slap mark across the girl's face obviously stung, but she could do little more than hide behind her mother, who stood there doing nothing. It wasn't that she didn't want to, Blake could smell the woman's outrage in the air, but as a maid she wisely kept quiet.

A snarl worked it was from Blake's throat, but before she could do anything about the matter, Coco beat her to it.

"Hey Winchester, is that how you treat a little girl?" Coco barked from her place, standing up and crossing the hallway.

"Just keep your head down." Velvet murmured to Blake. She knew better than to intervine when Coco went on her miniature rampage. Instead, Velvet's hand rested over Blake's as she nodded in her friend's direction. "Let her take care of things."

"And that's a good idea?" Blake asked.

"Well, perhaps not. Still, it's not the worst idea." Velvet muttered back.

"What's the worst?" Blake grumbled back.

"Getting in-between them when Coco's in a bad-" Hearing her mate's irate voice cut her off. She averted her gaze, wincing at the sight before her. "Oh no..."

"I guess this is all we can expect from the Winchester line, huh." Coco ranted heatedly, not at all intimidated by the "I can't say I'm surprised, your son's the same way. Raising a hand to a child, Faunus or not. People like you make me sick."

"Miss Adel, the displeasure is all mine." The man looked down his nose, high military honors adorning his form. Now he sat on the military's council, a thorn in General Ironwood's backside, and anyone who knew the man, knew it.

"Back at you, big guy, trust me." Coco said haughtily, lowering her shades to glare at him. "I don't know if you've been made aware, but the ASC have made some policy changes. We've always frowned upon anti-Faunus practices, but we're becoming more proactive."

The man lifted his brow to this, obviously disgusted. "Is that so?"

"Very much so, not that I think you'll take the hint." Coco said, a bite in her words that was unmistakable. "At the Adel Shipping Company, we're not tolerant to the mistreatment of Faunus in a workplace setting. This includes personal employees. I just thought I'd inform you, in the interest of strong business relations in the future."

"I will have to rethink my business ventures at a later date, then." The man replied. "I would implore you to rethink your practices."

"As will I." Coco told him. "It's a two way street, I've got my eye on you."

"Coco, really…" Velvet murmured from her place. Fox seemed to share the sentiment the way he stood with his arms crossed. She flicked her eyes to Blake. "I keep telling her not to pick arguments that will impact her father's company, not that she's inclined to listen."

It was an impressive display, Blake had to admit to that, but it also left a rather unfavorable taste in her mouth. "At least she's being somewhat restrained."

"That's my girl, waiting for an excuse to clock him." Fox grinned. "One good heel to the face would be entertaining, not to mention, sexy as hell."

"Fox, no." Velvet chastised. "Do not add fuel to the fire."

"Relax," Fox murmured, slinging an arm around the rabbit Faunus. "I won't get her kicked out."

The clocking of heels against the marbled floors commanded a particular level of admiration, and Weiss soon came into view, parading the halls after one too many unpleasant morning greetings. She assumed this would be another one, until she caught sight of just who the man was.

"Weiss," Blake breathed. "Perfect timing."

"Well damn." Fox muttered. "There goes the fun in that."

Velvet smacked at her mate's side. "Behave."

* * *

"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" Weiss asked, coming up the way dressed to impress. A formal tea dress hugged her forms in all the right ways, a cool snowy blue, perfect for the occasion.

"Ah, Ms. Schnee, what a pleasure it is to see you." At this the older man gave her a fond look. His voice lowered as he gave her a charming smile. "Here you are standing before me, and so elegantly too. You've grown up well, Weiss."

"Thank you, I'm glad you think so." A genuine smile broke passed her lips before she schooled her features properly. "Truthfully though, my question still stands. It wouldn't due to have two deeply valued business partners at odds." She replied, her focus entirely on the man in front of her. "Is there anything I can do?"

The man folded his hand's behind his back. "It was merely a miss understanding. It's nothing you should concern yourself over."

"Bullshit." Coco said. "Weiss, he laid hands on a little girl."

"A maid in training, you understand." He cut in mildly.

"Yes." Weiss said simply. "I do." There was an expected crispness in her voice. Her obvious disapproval had been wisely kept ambiguous. She turned to her Beacon Academy peer. "Coco, you and Velvet should dress for teatime. Being fashionably late can only be excused for so long before people begin to notice."

"It is getting to be that time, isn't it?" Coco said, gazing at her watch. She wanted to keep picking fights, but now wasn't the time, and she knew it. "I'll need to be going then, and I'll see you at tea."

Weiss nodded to her, but didn't turn her back to the man in front of her. Instead, she offered only a small smile. It didn't quite reach her eyes, but he didn't seem to notice. She schooled her features once more. "Mr. Winchester, I would be happy to escort you to the smoking room with the other men for entertainment. If it so pleases you, our servant's quarters are open to honored guests at this time. I'm sure your employees would be kept well out of trouble there."

The man seemed to consider this before smiling at Weiss gently. "I wouldn't expect you to guide me, I can find my way just fine, thank you. I would like to keep my servants out of harm's way though, if one of your own staff could see to the matter."

"I'll take them down myself." Weiss said with a nod. "It would be a pleasure to see their safe passage myself."

"Oh." The greying man nodded at this. "Well, if you insist."

Weiss knew she would need to be insistent. "Oh, trust me, I do."

The gentleman agreed and began wandering off in the direction of the smoking room, whistling as he meandered along.

It was no sooner than the imposing male walked off, that Blake stepped up. "Who was that jackass?" She hissed under her breath.

"Cardin Winchester, Senior. Obviously, he's Cardin's father, and the head of the Winchester line. He has a lot of money, and has served the Atlas military for several decades." Weiss said with a sigh, looking over at the servants. "Enough of that for now, let's get these two down to the servant's quarters where they belong."

Blake shot Weiss a withering look, but the white haired woman only sighed.

"Would you rather I leave them up here to withstand the rest of the racists?" Weiss asked her, only causing Blake to wordlessly shake her head. "I didn't think so." She led them to an elevator that only staff and family members had the key for. The small servant's elevator that would take them to the proper floor in the house. "I think you'll actually be pleasantly surprised, Blake. Our facilities are actually up to code around here."

Although, Weiss thought distractedly, that was likely because other people actually saw the servant's quarters. It was part of the SDC's pride, showing off what sort of treatment Faunus could expect from working with the esteemed SDC. It was all lies, Weiss knew that now, but at least the living arrangements at the mansion were pleasant.

"It hurts doesn't it?" Blake asked the girl sadly, as she nodded. She cowered behind her mother's leg, which only managed to crumple Blake's heart more at the sight. "Can't you heal her?" she asked the girl's mother, but the woman only sighed and shook her head.

Weiss swallowed hard. "I was hoping to avoid explaining this. The Winchester's breed their own servants into the household. Furthermore, those servants don't have the use of their aura or their semblances." Weiss explained for the Faunus woman. "We're not allowed to meddle with the servants of other households. It's considered to be rude and improper. Therefore, what I'm about to do doesn't leave this elevator."

Weiss pulled out her handkerchief, and sprinkled blue dust on it, freezing the cloth over with her semblance as she handed it over to the girl. "I would heal your cheek myself, but then you wouldn't bruise. I'd hate for you to get slapped again." The girl hesitated, as if taking anything from a Schnee meant almost certain doom, and Weiss sighed, handing the cloth instead to her mother. "Keep this, and make yourself at home. Our head maid will inform you when Mr. Winchester will be in need of your assistance."

The woman nodded, murmuring her quiet understanding and demurely exiting the elevator without making eye contact. As the doors closed though, Weiss made no move to start the lift back up. She hesitated, pausing over the numbered buttons on the door. "I'm sorry, Blake... I didn't want you to see that."

Blake turned on her. "That bastard restricts their auras. Did you know about this?" Blake growled.

"Many people do, it's hard to keep track." Weiss replied unevenly, the matter far beyond her knowledge. "Blake, you need to understand, this is all normal for me. Up until a few years ago, even I thought that it was common place."

"Coco's right." Blake said, ears flattening back. "It's sickening."

"I wish I had time to soothe away the unquestionable ire you must be feeling right now, but I don't." Weiss told her, remorse lacing her words thickly. "Blake, I have a mid-morning tea I have to attend. I'm helping to host it, along with Winter. If I don't attend, it will reflect poorly on me, and in turn my sister and father. Coco, Velvet and I don't have a choice in this matter, but you might be better off skipping this tea session."

"You look worried, Weiss, what kind of tea meeting is this?"

"The kind that always happen." Weiss said rather disdainfully. "All of the most well-to-do heiresses will be there trading pleasantries. Our fortunes stipulate that we will eventually be married off. Making strong bonds cultivate for the future. I'm sure my father hopes for something else to come of this teatime, but that's his problem, not mine. Regardless, I have always attended these gatherings, and Winter will also be there, as expected."

Blake lifted her fingers to the long white strands of hair that Weiss had let down for the occasion, pushing them behind her ear. "What do you want me to do? If you want me to be there, I will be. I know I won't be alone. Velvet's going, and Pyrrha too, I assume."

"They are." Weiss replied. "Velvet doesn't have a choice in the matter. Coco's father demands that Velvet and Fox conduct themselves as if they were married to Coco. These gatherings are all pomp and circumstance, Blake, nothing more. Velvet isn't treated very kindly, and I know for a fact you wouldn't be. Honestly, part of me wishes you'd consider going with the rest of our team."

"You truly don't want me there?" Blake murmured, a bit of hurt lacing her voice.

Weis bit her lip. "This place does terrible things to the mind, Blake, you were right about that last night. I can tell the weight of it all is getting to you. Honestly, I'd think poorly of you if it wasn't." Finally caving in, she approached Blake, arms circling around her, searching for the same in return. Some small ounce of comfort, any at all. "You deserve to spend time someplace you feel safe."

* * *

Weiss endeavored to keep Blake as far away from the main house as she could, for as long as she could.

Blake noticed the stress buried deeply in those cool blue eyes. She understood the difficult social setting her girlfriend had found herself in the middle of. The household happened to be full of Faunus hating humans, and Weiss could do little more than entertain their bigoted views with repressed sighs and gritted teeth. She couldn't afford to be as outspoken as Coco, and she couldn't risk the scene it would cause if she argued with her father's business friends.

Until the company was squarely in her control, Weiss, and by extension Blake, would need to grin and bear it. With this in mind, Blake agreed to wait at the cabin.

It was a refreshing experience, actually, finally being able to drink soda directly from the can and slouch in a chair. Blake hadn't even noticed how stressed she was until it completely melted off at the sight of her team. One of Yang's backbreaking hugs could work wonders that Blake had never truly discovered until that moment. Another twinge of enlightenment sparked Blake in that instant, feeling a cold chill run down her spine at the mere implication.

It was little wonder why Weiss had called herself a victim in their first year of school. It was also little wonder why she was at odds with every little detail team RWBY had first presented her with. The concepts had been entirely out of her world. Blake sighed at that, after having experiencing a mere taste of the life Weiss had been subjected to, she felt even more compelled to protect her from it.

It was a laughable desire at best. Nothing could be done this time, but, Blake swore to herself she would do better in the future.

A solid two hours were spent in the warmth of the cabin. The potential riff-raff of teams RWBY and JNPR were safely kept away from the formalized activities until later this evening. Yang kicked up her feet as she told Blake the latest plan. "So we finally agreed Pyrrha's going to take Ren. Jaune's obviously the better dancer, but they all love their ceremony around here. Ren's got the bloodline for that at least."

"That, and it least he doesn't sweat under pressure." Ruby said, poking her fingers together worriedly. "I was kind of hoping Jaune would be there."

"You're another reason why he can't be." Nora said, wagging her finger. "Corner buddies are for school dances only."

"I hate large crowds." Ruby lamented. "I don't want to go."

"None of us want to go." Blake reminded her. "Not even Weiss."

"I come from a long line of hunters, I've gone to parties kind of like this before." Jaune shot back proudly before he slouched. "Always being paraded around by my sisters might finally come in handy."

"You're coming into your own skill, Jaune, no one's arguing that." Nora told him, patting his knee. "All I'm saying is, that's kind of the problem. People like you and me are meant to be out in the forests beating Grimm in the face. That's our calling, and that's awesome. We don't need to be in that stuffy old place, with a bunch of snooty people who will judge us for being a little different than them."

"Why have you decided to go, Ren?" Blake asked him.

"As a team, we decided it was best." Ren replied simply. "We're treating this as a formal mission."

"Besides, someone's got buffer those assholes from CRDL." Yang interrupted. "I don't want my sister around any of them. I don't want you around them, either, Blake. If Pyrrha's playing keep-away with Weiss, someone's going to have to get those jerks off our backs."

"Point taken." Blake grumbled. "I forgot that the whole team would be escorting us."

"Furthermore, it makes sense for me to go. My father was raised as warrior for our village." Ren murmured placidly. "Atlas is a kingdom that values its military. Obviously, I chose my path as a hunter long ago, but in my village I would have been raised as a village guard. I have no doubt that what little upbringing I had as a warrior's son will serve me well tonight."

"His grades are better than Jaune's too." Nora smirked.

"I'm trying, okay." Jaune said with a shake of his head.

"I know you are, that's why we're going to have a study session when everyone else goes to the ball." She said, though she looked over at the huge television and all of the amazing amenities sadly. Then she sighed a little. "I mean we _could_ load up on junk food and watch really bad action movies all night, but where's the solidarity in that? I mean, if they don't get to have any fun tonight, we shouldn't either, right?"

"Hell, at this point Nora, I think you and Jaune have the better end of the deal anyway." Yang sighed.

* * *

Weiss came to collect Blake at eleven in the morning, giving them an hour together alone in the room to prepare for the slow drone of lunchtime. They quickly washed up, and dressed into their lunchtime attire. A few offhanded compliments was their only conversation for a long time.

It was only when Weiss began to brush her hair that Blake stepped behind her, holding out her hand.

It was a wordless question, but Weiss understood it well by now. She had even had come to expect it. She gave Blake the brush and let her do it. Obviously the Faunus woman found some measure of power in the act. She took joy in the matter, if nothing else. Still, there was a gleam, possessive and confidant in those amber colored eyes.

Blake found the action of grooming Weiss to be soothing, and she wished she could continue to do it forever. The brush slid through her girlfriend's hair easily enough, the long white strands acting like silk, and even after she was done, she allowed her finger tips to drift along those soft tresses. "So, you said your sister would be at tea-time." Blake said as she worked. "Did you get a chance to speak with her?"

"Not in the slightest." Weiss replied as she fooled around with her bangs and touched up her makeup. "We shared the usual tea-time pleasantries, but we didn't talk, not properly. She's itching to start some sort of conversation, but there was no opportunity to do so."

"Did she…say something unkind?" Blake asked, hesitation clear in her voice, almost regretting the very question.

"No." Weiss replied. "Although, she didn't have time to do so, either. We were entertaining a bunch of persnickety women all morning long." The blue eyed girl glanced at her bottle of mascara, thinking about applying it before setting it aside. Instead she freshened her concealer and lip gloss, allowing her fair complexion to speak for itself. "I would like it if you accompanied me to the rooftop garden after lunch."

"With all of those people there?" Blake asked.

"Yes...please. It's lonely, and Velvet could likely use the company." Weiss replied, taking the brush from Blake and switching places with her. After she cleaned the bristles, she began dealing with those long wavy locks with the precision and care only a Schnee could give. "She was hoping you'd be at the tea. Rightly so I imagine, as I've said before, she has a hard time fitting in around here."

"I'll go if you think I should go, Weiss." Blake replied. "I'm just not so sure your sister will be all that fond of me. Your father certainly isn't."

"Our relationship is complicated." Weiss said. "I suppose that's the problem. I've only ever sought after Winter's approval. This time though, I'm asking a lot. I'm not entirely sure what her reaction will be. She's never outright rejected my whims. I'm just afraid that this time, I might not be met with the same moral support I'm used to expecting from her."

"I'll do the best I can to get her to at least tolerate me."

"I want her to see all of the good things that I do. I want her to adore you, but, I'm afraid that might be asking too much." Weiss said softly. "Her approval means more to me now, than it has ever meant before."

It was all Weiss would say on the subject, and though Blake asked for more, she was met with quite refusals. She promised Blake would come to understand in her own time, and that was the best the heiress could offer to the woman she had given her heart to. Instead she urged Blake along, the clock ticking much faster than Weiss would have liked.

With some time to spare, they headed down for their taxing afternoon in hopes of finding some friendly faces lingering in the common areas.

* * *

 **AYangThang:** I received a guest review in the last chapter that I think proves interesting for discussion. I thought I'd clarify here why I characterize Faunus the way that I do. It was stated that I needed to domesticate the Faunus more, because as they are, it will be almost impossible for them to have equality as I've portrayed them.

Truth be told, that's EXACTLTLY why I've written the Faunus that way, because some of you readers will think that. However, in the RWBY universe, that would be the view of Atlas. In the RWBY universe, it would be an inherently racist view of the Faunus.

That we would have to use the word "domesticate" means that we've animalized that person. It means we've made them into a monster, or somehow look down on them as someone inferior. I believe that is the crux of Faunus plight, and this fiction explores the unspoken issues that inherently come with being Faunus.

It discusses the matters glossed over in the show.

However, this is not an issue only inherent in RWBY. There is real world precedent for treating people this way…animalizing them, fearing them, and treating them as lesser beings. To bring up a rather uncomforting, but relatable topic for a moment, strap in, we're about to get serious.

In American history, long ago when African American slaves were first brought into North America, white people were terrified of them. We animalized the entire African American race, and dismissed their practices as being "voodoo" and "primitive". In such films as the 1934 movie called "White Zombie" this is not only depicted, it is used as a method of horror. The film is meant to be scary for its time, because at the time, the white population had such a narrow minded view of African American culture, and what it truly stood for.

There's more that the movie discusses, and several ways to analyze what it means, but that's something for a Sociology classroom, not fanfiction.

The meaning and theme prove only this: it's wrong to dehumanize people. It is unquestionably wrong to do that in real life…however, in history, that's what we did. We were wrong for doing it, but the precedent in history still stands. Obviously, it's not the only one, but we if counted all the times that people have dehumanized others, we'd likely all become terribly cynical people.

So, bringing the topic back to RWBY, Faunus culture is simply that. Faunus culture. For the humans to think poorly of that, and to judge that based on what they don't understand isn't okay. Only education, open minds, and open hearts stop bigotry. It has to be a joint effort for everyone, and this fiction explores those themes through Faunus eyes and the context of the show.

That's why Faunus are written as they are, and that won't change in the "I Want" universe as I'm depicting it.


	22. Chapter 22: Schnee Manor: Day 3, Part 2

Taking lunch with the rest of the guests went about as aggravatingly as expected for Winter Schnee.

She hated all of these complicated social affairs. Now that it was noontime, there was slightly more chatter than there was at breakfast. It was less to do with business and more to do with gossip. Idle compliments were given and taken with due amounts of clout. Wine flowed freely, and everyone at the rows of tables seemed to be enamored with the newest up and coming students from Atlas Academy.

They showcased their newest weaponry, sang songs, and played instruments in an attempt to appease the high class tastes of their audience.

Winter looked over to the young first year students, her gaze alone soothing their excitable natures. Many of them had never stepped foot inside of the mansion before, and had never before thought they'd be given the opportunity. As yet another pupil made his way to the podium to showcase one of his dust experiments, Winter allowed her eyes to drift around the table.

She couldn't ignore the way that the Faunus were regulated to the far end, well away from everyone else. It was fine, Winter supposed. She had never paid much attention to their Faunus guests in the past, and took the seating arrangement at face value. Now though, Winter couldn't rightly do that, not with Weiss also choosing to sit at the far end, away from the business investors. It was something akin to a slap in the face for the young hopefuls looking to make a good impression.

It didn't escape Winter's notice that several unattached men, young and old alike, were working particularly hard to earn her little sister's approval.

It hadn't been working, of course, but it was still humorous. When a few of the older gentlemen turned their sights to her, Winter found herself quickly reminded of why she hated these gatherings. She was unattached too, after all, and there were plenty of single noblemen nearer to her age, than that of her little sister. She brushed the aside coldly, leaving no question of her disinterest.

Instead, she watched as her sister flourished at the opposite end of the room.

At least this way she was among friends. Coco, Velvet, and that teammate of hers, Blake, surrounded Weiss. Seated quietly, the cat Faunus spoke with Velvet, just as Weiss conversed with Coco. Stranger still, Pyrrha Nikos seemed to have her hand in both conversations, the five of them tittering on like school girls. The rest of their respective teams murmuring amongst themselves. Several of the members looked out of place, barely eating, as if somehow the fine china had offended them.

It was then, Winter belatedly realized, they _were_ school girls. Three of them might have been raised to be refined young ladies, but they were still just academy students themselves. Not all of them had an upbringing centered around wine and china.

Winter smiled sadly at that. It was refreshing to see Weiss so enthralled with any conversation. Her usual abrasiveness set aside among her trusted friends. Winter sipped her tea as she locked eyes with those of amber. Blake Belladonna focused entirely at her in careful study.

Winter returned the gesture.

For Blake, It was somewhat unsettling the way that icy blue eyes bore into her. Blake would have bristled at the stare, had she not received that look from Weiss several times before. Winter probably didn't mean any harm. In fact, if the older sibling was anything like her younger sister, it was pure inquisitiveness, and nothing else. The way a person might stare at shards of glass before picking them up, as if doing so recklessly would harm them.

After lunchtime, the guests disappeared, several heading off to their rooms, while many more headed for the rooftop garden. Winter didn't miss the way that Blake and Weiss retreated quickly, as if being at the table at all, had been a struggle in and of itself.

* * *

"Ugh, I cannot believe Coco." Weiss ranted when they re-entered her bedroom for the umpteenth time that day. "I don't know just what kind of relationship she keeps with Velvet, but playing footsie under the table crosses the line."

"You're only bent out of shape because I wasn't doing the same thing to you." Blake said with a small smirk and an upraised eyebrow.

"It's a good thing you didn't. I would have kicked any straying appendage, yours or not." Weiss told her. "It was entirely uncouth."

"That's just how Coco always acts though. It can't bother you all that much, can it?" Blake asked, to which Weiss nodded.

"Astoundingly so." Weiss allowed with another roll of her eyes as she strutted off towards her mirror. The entire action boarded on haughty, and Blake couldn't help the fact that her eyes were much more focused on the swaying hips that unknowingly taunted her. "…what?"

"Oh... Nothing." Blake replied, but Weiss clearly didn't believe that.

"That was most definitely something." Weiss announced. "I intend to know what exactly it _was_ about."

"Well, that's…" Blake coughed indelicately into her fist, looking away innocently as a blush dusted her features. "Let's just say, I envy Coco's brazen shows of affection. Her actions come off as very possessive, but, I can tell Velvet enjoys it."

"She enjoys a lot of things, apparently." Weiss dryly stated.

"Mmm, maybe." Blake nodded, turning her head away thoughtfully. "Then again, maybe not." Examining the bedroom for all that it was worth, as if trying to find a better explanation. "To be honest, there aren't many humans like Coco. At least, none that I've ever come across."

"Is that so?"

"It's weird to hear me say that, huh?" Blake said slowly, her palm outstretched to the wall, fingers sliding against the surface, feeling even the tiniest of imperfections laced within. "It's true, most people tend to be possessive in bad ways. The controlling sort, but, not Coco. She's different. It almost every way, she's just, not the same as other humans."

"I'm listening…" Weiss said slowly, as if skeptical. A glance to her eyes told Blake that she was.

"I'm not sure I can explain an alpha's mentality. However, Coco is by far the most perfect human equivalent I have ever seen." Blake said, shrugging away the deeper meaning to her thoughts. "If I were to seek an alpha Faunus as a mate, they would need to command nearly absolute supremacy. That Coco does that, even as a nose blind human, speaks to the deeply primal parts of my instinct. I think to myself, she's worthy of being followed...that I _should_ follow her."

"Coco gets away with murder, I swear. It's always been that way, ever since we were young." Weiss said then, seemingly jealous of her friend's upbringing. "Believe this or not, my father is rather close with Coco's. They were friends as children. Our fathers had hoped Coco and I would make such a bond. I think they were disappointed when we didn't. For the longest time, we shared one too many differences of opinion."

"Well, she's older than you. It wasn't like the two of you had the same classes or anything growing up, right?" Blake asked. "That probably didn't help."

"We weren't even in the same school until Beacon. All of my tutoring was done privately." Weiss shot back with a note of regret in her voice. She sighed deeply when Blake closed their distance again, her palm lifting to caress a porcelain cheek. Weiss edged away from the contact, lifting her gaze to Blake once more. "It was my fault, really. I pushed her away purposely when we were younger."

Blake's eyes narrowed softly, concern and confusion at war. "But…why?" she asked dumbly, head cocked to the side just the slightest bit in a curious fashion.

"Coco's parents are very liberal, they always have been. Coco was raised to be the same, and I was not." Weiss said, almost brushing off the topic. Then she paused, lingering on it thoughtfully. "To answer your question, Coco is the black sheep of these gatherings. Always looking to get into trouble. Now that we're older, she still hasn't changed. She even flaunts her relationship with Velvet and Fox to make a point. To me, it's the worst kind of attention seeking."

"Oh, and the fact that she's possessive by nature has nothing to do with it?" Blake found herself grinning when Weiss swatted at her side. It was almost too cute.

"You know how I feel about public displays of affection." Weiss told her sternly. "It isn't the time or the place, even if it _is_ under the table unseen. Coco should save it for the bedroom."

"You're right." Blake agreed warmly, grabbing Weiss by the wrist and pulling her into a firm embrace before pinning her to the nearest wall beside them. "I also know how you feel about private displays of affection." She breathed deeply, taking in that perfect scent, made worse by whatever perfume Weiss had decided to use. "Mostly, that you quite enjoy them. As do I." It was doing alluring things to her pheromones, and Blake had suffered the entire mealtime catching the teasing aroma. "You really should be careful about perfume, you know. It can be very intoxicating to my senses."

"Oh?" Weiss swallowed hard, finding the question a difficult one to voice with Blake so close to her. She could feel Blake's nose ghosting along the nape of her neck, her lips soon to plant themselves there with petal-like softness. "I didn't know."

"Well, thanks to that, I'm acutely aware of you." Blake said, nipping at tender flesh lightly enough not to leave any marks. "Some perfume enhances your natural scent, others mask it, but this one…" Blake took another deep breath, her eyes nearly rolling back into her head. "I can't really describe it. Not while keeping a polite tongue in my mouth."

Weiss shivered visibly, feeling that hot breath falling across her neck as she tilted her head to the side. It was an action born of nervousness, but then she was soothed by the deep purr vibrating in Blake's chest. Weiss struggled with herself at first. Unsure if this was Blake's blatant way of flirting, or if there was some deeper meaning to the woman's words.

Either way, her mouth ran dry at the thoughts running through her mind.

She knew Blake had a sensitive sense of smell, stronger than any human nose at any rate. Still, she had no indication of how strong it was, or what Blake could pick up in passing. Her imagination ran wild as she sucked in a breath, trying to find her confidence as it floundered. She swallowed back her unease. Blake would have explained herself more carefully if it was truly a problem, wouldn't she?

Well, there was only one way to find out. "Then perhaps, for the sake of clarity, you shouldn't be polite…"

Blake couldn't describe it even if she wanted to. It smelled lurid, arousing. Sexual in every way, a tempting concoction that primitively dulled her higher reasoning. Instead of trying to properly explain just where her mind had skittered off too, she smirked. A small yet obviously playful growl emanating from within as she captured her girlfriend's lips as her own...

* * *

Winter's years in the military had served her well as she followed the young duo back to her sister's room.

She was sure that Weiss hadn't the slightest clue that she was there. Yet, the Faunus seemed not to know either. That was a surprise. Winter Schnee was a military specialist, learning to be covert came with the title. Yet even so, she knew her disadvantages were not easily accounted for. She never thought she would ever be so easily forgotten about by any Faunus in the vicinity.

Then again, Blake did seem truly focused on Weiss, as if nothing else in the world could possibly matter.

Honestly, she had been following the young women around ever since their visit to the stables. Winter considered it her own personal mission to make sure her sister was safe. She had studied their interactions to great length. Finding nothing amiss. However, observation would provide only little glimpses into the nature of just what was going on.

Winter needed more.

She forced her way into her sister's room with the spare key to the door. The finest military outfit she owned encasing her figure in pure white from head to toe. "I knew I'd find you here." She sighed in reply to her sister's surprised shriek.

"Winter!" Weiss found her voice to be a mix between a whisper and a shout. As if anyone overhearing them at all would make the whole situation worse. "What are you doing?"

"Worrying myself over your wellbeing...although this is a sight to behold, isn't it?" Winter sighed, one hand resting on her hip, while the other gripped the hilt of her sword. "I should hardly be surprised. You always endeavor to keep out of sight during times like this."

"You followed us, didn't you?" Weiss asked, not even turning her head to regard her elder sister. She was too busy pulling away from the Faunus that had her pinned against the wall not a moment before.

"A good thing I did." Winter replied. "Now is not the time to be preoccupied with bedroom frolics."

Weiss gave Winter a somewhat annoyed look, hands on her hips in near outrage. "Oh, for the love of dust and debris, why does everyone assume we're sleeping together?"

"What else was I to assume, given the sight I've walked in on?" Winter asked.

"I don't want to hear that, coming from you." Weiss said wagging a finger at her elder sister whilst trying to ignore the blush burning her own cheeks. "Your bedfellows are almost legendary in this household, least you forget. I've had one too many sights to see myself, thank you."

"Emulating me will get you nowhere, and you know that perfectly well. I expected better from you, Weiss. You must hold yourself to a higher standard than I do, it's the only way you'll inherit the company." Her cold eyes then flicked to Blake. "You too, commoner or not, I assumed better of you as well, Belladonna."

"Don't blame Blake. We had every intention of speaking with you properly." Weiss replied, her hands smoothing out her clothing, before dabbing at her lips. She reapplied what little balm had been smeared from her earlier lip lock. Anything to forget about what her sister had just seen. "So, are you here to offer an interrogation, or were you so happy to see me that you simply couldn't wait?"

"That depends, which answer would get me closer to my goal?" Winter asked honestly.

"I don't know." Weiss said honestly. "I suppose that would depend on what that goal is."

"Well then, I'll do you the respect of cutting pleasantries. Tactless though it might seem, I'm worried about you, Weiss. That, and I'm rather desperate to clear up the rumors I've been hearing. They have been particularly unflattering, to say the least."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I see, and what makes you think they're rumors?"

"Father spewed them recklessly over the phone. He did it with such venom, I thought it couldn't possibly be true. When the daddy's girl of the family manages to irritate him so colorfully, I'm brought to wonder why." Winter retorted with a long gaze, looking Blake up and down scrutiny. "The words don't need to be repeated. I think you know them as well as I do."

"Obviously, Winter..."

"The fact is, I feel inclined to meddle about in my own way, in this." Winter replied. "I have every reason to find that girl's motivations suspicious."

"What motivations?" Blake asked.

"As if you don't know." Winter spat. "I'll deal with you in a moment."

"You'll do no such thing." Weiss retorted, her hand settling on Blake's arm. "I am not going to buffer an argument right now. We have no time."

"You'll excuse me if I don't completely trust her." Winter replied carefully. "To be clear, I don't trust her at all."

"You wouldn't, would you?" Weiss asked softly with a distant smile. "Well, at least you think to ask questions before you draw your sword... That's more than I can say for some older siblings. Still, if you cannot trust Blake, I ask that you take the time to try."

"What's even going on?" Blake asked, leaning forward to murmur in her girlfriend's ear. "This isn't just about me being a Faunus..."

"Winter has access to all classified documents about the White Fang's activity." Weiss told Blake. "I'm sure some of that intelligence includes you. What she doesn't know, is that we've already addressed that between ourselves." Weiss merely looked over to her elder sister and shook her head. "I understand the concerns you have. Trust me, I do. However, if you just get to know Blake, you probably won't worry anymore."

"I'm your older sister, Weiss." Winter replied. "I will always worry. I cannot protect you from everything, therefore, I must protect you from what I can. You're swimming in a shark tank you're sorely ill-prepared for."

"I'm not a child." Weiss said quietly. Her voice merely above a sad little whisper. "Prepared or not, under these circumstances, I don't think you can protect me. I don't even think it's an option. Your moral support is all I can hope for. Even that might not be enough."

"If only you'd give up your claim to the company then I could-"

"No." Weiss interrupted. "No, Winter, I cannot stand in your shadow."

"You cannot afford not to."

"What I cannot afford is your complete distrust of Blake. Perhaps you should hash this out amongst yourselves." Weiss replied, grabbing her sword and affixing it to her hip once more. "In the meantime I will go entertain the guests in the gardens."

"I… That's… I mean…" Blake looked between the older woman, and Weiss, biting the inside of her cheek. "Alone?" She squeaked.

"Is that a problem?" Winter inquired with an upraised eyebrow.

"It will happen eventually." Weiss said simply. "My sister isn't deceptive, Blake. Just speak with her." She then gave Winter a somewhat beseeching stare. "Don't take too long."

Winter let out an annoyed sigh, but agreed with a nod. "Very well. It would be unsightly if we were both late to the flower viewing. I suppose we don't have a choice." Winter then appraised Blake. "Weiss will go begin to entertain the guests, and you will accompany me to my personal suite. It's more suitable for discussions such as these."

* * *

Blake followed Winter with great reluctance, already fearing the worst. What she knew of the woman wasn't anything monstrous, but it wasn't anything kind, either. What little insight she had been given wasn't enough to soothe her fears. The woman's last name held weight, and among Faunus it was no better than a curse. That Weiss attempted to renew her family name only offered a fragile reassurance that times were changing.

Blake's ears pressed back, folding down on their own.

She tried to upright them, but her worries were too great, her fears too cumbersome. Worst of all, Weiss wasn't there to inspire a forced sense of confidence. Blake felt completely, entirely, alone. Her team wasn't there either.

She was alone, and she had to stand strong in spite of that.

Winter ushered her inside, seating her down in one of the armchairs. Then she walked away, pressing a panel in the wall and moving it aside. Grabbing a bottle of sparkling cider she poured two glasses, and carried them back the sitting area, offering one to Blake before partaking her own seat. Winter said nothing as she sipped from her glass, merely watching as Blake studied her own. Distrustful amber glared at the fizzling golden liquid.

"It's not poisoned." Winter replied, setting her glass down primly. "I'll have you know, it's beneath me to use such backhanded tactics. If I wanted you dead, we wouldn't be sitting here, where any and all evidence to your murder would point to me."

Blake startled at the words before her shoulders slumped. "I didn't...think...it was." She said, offering only a slight sip before drawing away from the glass as if she still didn't trust it.

The imperious woman maintained a mask of indifference, her features unreadable. She crossed one leg over the other. Elegance at war with her militant garb and stringent personality. "I suppose you're wondering why I insisted on the expediency of our first meeting. It's something I would wonder about, if I was in your position. After all, these aren't Beacon's walls, and Weiss isn't here to save you. It's quite the compromising situation, isn't it?"

"I think it is, but, Weiss trusts you." Blake said, with her hands in her lap, grabbing at her dress, worrying the fabric between her fingers. "So…here I am."

Winter raised a brow at this. "That's it? That's your only reason for being here?"

Blake nodded, her eyes falling to the floor. The marbled patters interesting to her. "Because it's what she wants from both of us. Weiss holds you to a high standard too. Her word is enough for me."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

"Interesting. An uncanny response, to say the least." Winter decided then. "May I ask why?"

"You won't like the answer." Blake told her.

Winter made a noise, something of annoyance as she took another sip of her cider. "My opinions are not yours to judge."

Blake sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry." She flicked her gaze back to Winter. Unsure if she should say what was on her mind. Finally, she decided keeping quiet would probably be worse. "Weiss intends to be my mate one day. If a Faunus can't trust their mate, then who can they trust?"

Winter seemed to think on that, taking her time before answering.

"A cat Faunus orphaned at a young age, raised by terrorist group, with a rap sheet that's over forty pages long. Your past with the White Fang alone makes you a desirable target for law enforcement." Winter began softly. "Naturally, given all of that, you can imagine my surprise when I first heard of team RWBY. You owe Ozpin a great deal, he protects each and every one of his students tooth and nail. If it hadn't been for him, I would have insisted that you be brought in for questioning years ago."

"I wouldn't have had anything meaningful to say…"

"Somehow, I doubt that." Winter responded coolly as she opened her end table drawer. "My eyes have been on you much longer than you could begin to understand."

"Somehow, I don't believe that." Blake groused.

A thick wad of papers landed flatly on the table between them. It was enough of a retort in and of itself. "I know Blake Belladonna the Faunus, the activist, the criminal, and the student. If there's a piece of paperwork to be had, it hasn't slipped away from my inspection. Needless to say, it paints a very complex picture. I don't have enough time to analyze it all." At this, her exhaustion showed.

Blake's own mirrored her. "Then, you know what there is to say. I don't have anything else to add."

"If I were not a Schnee, born and raised, I might be inclined to believe that." Winter said, her eyes a deep piercing blue that shot through. Searching the deepest depths of those amber eyes. "However, I am a Schnee, and I know what you speak is untrue. For all of my efforts, I still do not know Blake Belladonna, the woman. I would like to assume that my sister is not a shallow person. That she would choose you based on the latter identity, not the others."

"Well, you're not wrong."

"Yet, I am not entirely correct either, am I?"

"I think we both know Weiss didn't plan this. I'm a Faunus, why would she?" Blake laughed sadly at that. "You and I both know she'd be better off with a human, she knows it too. We both kept our distance, blurred the lines until they were too tangled up to make sense. I don't know if I'll ever make sense of it, I don't think I can."

"And you don't find that to be the slightest bit daft?"

"It's a lot of things, Winter. Both good and bad." Blake said, having come to terms with that conclusion already. "I can get on my knees and beg for your approval, but, if what your sister wants isn't good enough for you, then it doesn't really matter. I can't force you to like me, trust me, or even see me as an equal. You have to want to, and if you don't, that's just the way it is. I'd hate to have to try and explain that to Weiss, though, and I think you would too...so just give me a chance."


	23. Chapter 23: Schnee Manor, Day 3, Part 3

Weiss sipped on some white wine idly as she kept Ruby nailed to her side like glue.

Her father had decided that it was time for all of the guests to show themselves, Weiss couldn't talk him out of it. So, collecting her friends, she escorted them to the gardens where most of the young hopefuls, and their parents, had gathered. She eyed the people passing by like a hawk, only offering occasional glances to a few of the more friendly visitors that chatted with Pyrrha nearby.

Weiss maintained pleasantries, but didn't attempt to do anything more than that. It suited her family name and seemingly cold exterior, therefore it went unquestioned.

Atlas wasn't known for their plant matter in the slightest, sure there were cold weather plants and trees that survived out in the wilds, but not much else grew in several feet of snow. As such, many of the blue-blooded elite kept sprawling indoor gardens, complete with wildlife. Topical birds, beautiful insects, anything to leave a strong first impression, and a continual powerful one thereafter. It was a point of pride.

Weiss felt a deeper significance to this place though. She bit her lower lip as she gazed up at the statue her father had insisted jut had to be made. Her mother's likeness carved into the immaculate stone. Weiss wasn't quite sure how she felt about it.

"She looks like you…" Ruby said in awe, as though the mere idea of such a thing couldn't even be fathomable.

Weiss only nodded. "Her blood runs through my veins, so I suppose that makes sense." Weiss said distantly. "I hate to say this, as doing so distances whatever relation I have to her. That said, I am my father's daughter. His blood runs strong, and I've inherited a great many of his traits, both in features, and in personality."

Ruby crinkled her nose as that. "Uh, no way, Weiss. I don't think so…"

"It's why we disagree so often." Weiss shrugged.

"I thought that was because he acted like a jerk." Ruby pointed out.

"I can't explain it well, but think of it like this. Parents try and groom out traits that they believe to be negative, but, those negative influences have to come from someplace." Weiss began to explain. "If you can put your ego aside for long enough, you normally tend to find that it's those same traits reside in you, passed down from generation to generation."

"I guess that makes sense. Well, you know what they say." Ruby laughed with a shrug. "Monkey see, monkey do, and all of that."

"Well, there is that too, I suppose." Weiss looked across the room, gazing upon her father. "He and I are so similar, we can't help but to fight."

"I don't want you guys to fight about anything." Ruby trailed off.

"Me either, Ruby." As a waiter passed by, Weiss hailed them, pulling a glass of sweet white wine off of the platter for herself, and grabbing a small glass filled with a milky substance. She dismissed the man with polite gratitude that she handed the beverage to Ruby. "Here, try this. You'll find that it's a rather creamy alcohol, more akin to milk than liquor. They can be strong though, so don't guzzle these down by the bucket full."

Ruby took the drink gingerly. "Weiss, are you sure about this?"

Honestly, she wasn't, not in the slightest. Weiss wanted her friends to enjoy themselves as much as possible. This was a celebratory gathering, after all. "You're not a slouch, Ruby. I know you can hold your hard liquor enough to enjoy one drink. I'm sure you'll enjoy this far more than whatever your uncle keeps in his flask."

"Better than Yang's stuff?"

"Much better than Yang's personal stash." Weiss nodded, encouraging Ruby to try. "Probably weaker than that too, now that I think about it. If at any point you don't like it, however, I can always order you a strawberry daiquiri. Those are rather sweet, and I'm sure you'd enjoy it."

Ruby lifted the lowball glass to her lips, sipping at the creamy chilled beverage, her eyes lighting up at the mild chocolate taste. "Oh my god, it's like a liquid cookie." She said taking another sip, marveling at the taste.

"I thought you would enjoy it."

"I do." Ruby said, eyes alight in wonder. It was a little slice of heaven in a glass, and absently she wondered about asking for a bottle of whatever it was for her next birthday. It was then, belatedly, that she realized just how deeply she could sink into such a vice, not unlike the rest of her family. Her gaze became distant then, thoughtful, as she set aside the small glass. "It's...good…"

"Are you lying to me?" Weiss asked. "Is the flavor truly that wonderful?"

"It is…maybe too good." Ruby replied, wanting another taste, but outright refusing the desire. "Uncle Qrow is someone I look up to a lot, and my dad too, but I'd be lying if I said I never got mad at them for drinking." She said as she scanned the room. "It _is_ really tasty, but if I had to choose between this and milk, I think I'd always pick milk."

"There's nothing wrong with that, Ruby." Weiss nodded. "You can't make a handful of terribly regrettable decisions over a glass of milk."

"Yeah." Ruby said. "Exactly."

"I'll have you know, my mother used to be a very heavy drinker. A natural alcoholic, not unlike your uncle. She wasn't quite so disorderly in her conduct, but she was driven to drink…my father too, he drinks often."

"You've been doing it more this year too..." Ruby pointed out.

Weiss nodded. She had been doing it more. "Let's find some other place to be shall we? There are plenty more flowers to choose from. We even have a multicolored bed of roses that I think you might enjoy…"

The combat partners walked side by side, perhaps more closely than what would be afforded to the stringent upper-class views. Weiss allowed it though, because she feared the worst if Ruby let her nerves get the better of her. Ruby was a prodigy when it came to matters involving survival and Grimm, but, those skills wouldn't earn her any favors on this day.

Her only comforts were the selfsame that Weiss had herself. Their friends, and very little else.

* * *

Ruby was always the curious sort, eager to learn, so long as the subject was interesting enough to hold her interest. She began to ask about the party goers, her inquisitive nature offering Weiss a sorely needed distraction. It lasted for a long time, but finally, Ruby found a group of people Weiss hadn't wanted the girl to notice.

"Weiss, what about those people?"

The white haired woman sighed at the genuine curiosity pouring from her teammate, taking away a small blessing that Ruby wasn't flailing around in her exuberance. "Those are Coco's parents. Being mated to a Faunus isn't supported as a marriage under Atlas law. Marriage is by monogamy only, so Coco is still considered unattached by the kingdom's standards. That's why she's here, even though most of us know by now that she isn't looking for a husband."

"What about those two guys they're talking to?"

"You mean, you don't see the resemblance?" Weiss asked, almost laughing. "The two men they're speaking with are my uncles."

"Uncles?"

"On my father's side, yes. My father was the baby of his family, the youngest of five. He has two older sisters, both of whom I've never even had the pleasure of meeting, and two older brothers." Weiss explained at length. "They're both highly accomplished. They don't have the prestige of my father, but, it's also arguable that they are both more successful over all."

"Oh, wow, I never knew you had such a big family, Weiss. Can I meet them?"

"Don't sound so excited." Weiss murmured. "They're blood only. I'd hardly consider them family."

"But…" Ruby began, as if perplexed. "They're your uncles, Weiss. How can you not?"

"Don't act as if it's by my choice." Weiss told her crisply. Then her mood softened, realizing that Ruby had a relatively small family by comparison. Or rather, if she did have other relatives, she had no clue who they were. "The feeling happens to be mutual, so, try not to worry yourself over it. They want nothing to do with me, either, Ruby."

"Why not?"

Weiss shrugged. "I'm not a male. It's as simple as that."

"So…because you're not a boy…they don't like you?"

Weiss nodded. "They look down on my father for failing to produce any sons. In the meantime, they each have both sons and daughters. The best of both worlds. The men carry the titles, the women get married off." Weiss said as her voice pitched just slightly higher through an airy sigh. "I pity my father. It's obvious the way they look down their noses at him. It's no question why they do the same to me."

"Then can you explain it, because I still don't get it…"

"Ruby, given your upbringing, I don't think you can understand. You see, it comes down to tradition, misogyny, and stale ideology." Weiss began, taking another sip of her wine to mask her discomfort. "As much as I have my family disputes, female or not, I'm still poised to take the company. My father is a flawed man, I don't make excuses for him, but, he's never once used my gender as a way to keep me under lock and key."

"Uh-huh..." Ruby crinkled her nose at her friend's statements, but said nothing more about it.

"It's my personality he disagrees with, Ruby." Weiss continued. "That my sister and I were born as females puts a great deal of pressure on my father. He has never allowed that pressure to fall onto us. Mind you, he has his own opinions on a woman's place, but, he has never denied my position as his heir based on my gender alone. His brothers, on the other hand..."

"It got bad, didn't it?"

"It was a point of family friction, yes." Weiss sighed. "I'm sure they were hoping my father would hand the company to one of their sons instead. To them, The mere idea that a female would be handed the company is a slap in the face."

"No offense, but if that's the way they act, those guys sound like jerks." Ruby looked around some more, finding something more interesting to focus on. "Okay, well, what about him. That younger guy over there…" Ruby trailed off. "The one chatting up Yang. Who's he?"

Weiss shrugged as she eyed him. "Believe it or not, I don't know. Frankly, it's impossible that I would know everyone. According to my father, I'm supposed to be finding a suitor. Just like the rest of the young bloods here. If you've noticed, it's mostly single men and women gallivanting around, and of course, their parents. After all, if you're to find a date before the ball, now's the perfect time. It's only correct to ask a suitor's parents for permission first."

"That sounds like a pain in the butt." Ruby deadpanned.

"Should we be concerned for Yang's welfare?" Ren asked from Ruby's side. He had noticed the young man too. "A better question being, should I step in?"

"Well, I mean, it's not like she looks angry or anything, but…" Ruby shrugged. "Weiss?"

"Well, so long as she doesn't send him flying…" Weiss said, though looking at the two, they seemed to be having an enjoyable time. "There's something innocent about that man…I can't place my finger on it, but there's just something about him…" She looked to Ruby, then back to the man. "Something about him seems off, as if he isn't a wealthy benefactor's son."

"That's because he isn't." Pyrrha said with a small laugh, coming up to join the group. "That's my youngest cousin. I would hope he's as innocent as you say, he's younger than Ruby."

"Really, but how? He's almost as tall as Yang." Ruby murmured in awe.

"He has grown taller than the last time I saw him." Pyrrha replied thoughtfully. "He chose apprenticeship over an academy. He's been following my parents around, learning from them directly ever since. He's a good boy, certainly mild mannered enough not to provoke Yang in the slightest."

"What is it with your family, Pyrrha?" Weiss wondered, somewhat confused as to how a teenage boy so young, could look so much older than he should. "He doesn't look like a teenage boy. He looks as tall as a grown man."

"The men in my family are rather large, but even the women in my family aren't exactly petite." Pyrrha said, gesturing to her own father, and the woman at his side. Pyrrha's mother was a solid few inches taller than her, with the womanly figure to match. "I take after my mother, or so I'm told. We tend to mature quickly."

"Spitting image, in fact, your genetics are a crime…" Weiss said, looking down at her own figure. "If that's even remotely how you'll look when you're middle aged, it's a sin against nature. It's like you people don't age…never mind the fact that you both are the womanly ideal."

"Weiss, you're beautiful." Ruby deadpanned. "Pyrrha's great too, you both are. There's no competition between you, because you both look awesome."

"She's right, you know." Pyrrha nodded, gazing at Weiss with a knowing little smile. "Besides, I hardly see the reason to be jealous over another's body type. Blake certainly doesn't seem to have any complaints."

"Have you _seen_ Blake?" Weiss retorted. "She has absolutely nothing to complain about."

"I meant about in regards to you." Pyrrha laughed, hiding her smile behind her hand delicately. "Although, I suppose the point still stands. There isn't anything to complain about at all, Weiss. Speaking of which, it seems as though she's just arrived."

"They managed not to kill each other." Weiss said with a sigh of relief as she saw her sister walk into the gardens, Blake following not too far behind her. "I was starting to get worried."

"Starting?" Ruby laughed.

Weiss gave her a look. "I have plenty to be worried about. Please tell me you've been practicing how to dance."

"I hate classical music…" Ruby said with a roll of her eyes. "Jaune had me drilling almost all night. Honestly, I prefer fighting Grimm."

"Well, be thankful that you'll be back to doing that soon enough. Survive tonight without causing a scene, Ruby, it's all I ask."

* * *

Blake wasn't sure what to think of Winter, and it was obvious that the older sibling wasn't entirely fond of her either. If that was because Blake seemed like some sort of Faunus rebel, or merely because she was a Faunus at all, Blake wasn't entirely sure.

What she knew for a fact, was that they both wanted Weiss to look good at this social gathering. The heiress to the SDC needed to have an almost perfect image, and Blake had to do her best not to tarnish it. She also had to put up with the fact that Weiss was attracting a large amount of attention, and it seemed as though her girlfriends was shooing away suitors at every turn. Blake knew she had to be on her best behavior, and kept her distance, least she loose her temper.

Winter seemed to notice this too. It was a silent, obvious, and required truce. Blake understood it perfectly.

Blake kept an eye on Weiss from afar as the sisters spoke at length. Their father introduced them to several men of varying ages, and to Weiss he presented a few women. Then, they chatted amongst themselves. Each of them partook an elaborate arrangement of flowers and walked over to a stature at the far end, placing the flowers there. Then they dispersed, only to have Wilson call Weiss over to his side as they met with investors.

To make the whole awkward situation worse, Winter had her eye back on Blake. It wasn't the sort of scrutiny she could escape any time soon.

Yang, of course, was hardly put off by the string of events. "I see the cogs turning, wanna dish?"

"Winter keeps looking at me like she wants to gut me." Blake said only loud enough for Yang to hear. "I thought she'd back off a bit."

The blonde searched the room before finding the older Schnee sibling. "Blakey, that's not a murderous look. That's and older sister look."

Blake huffed out her annoyance. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"Not really, No." Yang chuckled as she shook her head. "Honestly, all things considered, she probably likes you just fine."

"I doubt that, Yang."

"Get with the program, Blakey. This is all part of the big sister code. Besides, she doesn't have any reason to hate you." Yang said casually. "I mean, come on, what's the worst thing you could possibly do to piss Winter off?"

"I'd rather not think about that, it was bad enough Winter saw me kissing Weiss." Forgetting that Yang didn't know that detail, she gave her partner a pointed look. "Don't ask, I'm not going to explain it. Let's just say, it was a rather compromising situation to say the least."

"Won't ask." Yang said. "But maybe you need to put that into perspective then. Maybe she is a little pissed, but if so, good on her."

"Yang, please don't take her side on this…" Blake murmured guiltily. "It's bad enough that I already hate myself. I might have really damaged their relationship as sisters."

"Nah, you didn't." Yang replied with a wave of her hand. Her usual upbeat attitude doing a good job of mollifying Blake's inward brooding. "Thing is though, she _did_ see you kissing her little sister. For all she knows, you're some no good thug trying to hurt Weiss." Yang said. "I know you're a good person, but as a big sister myself, I'd be pissed if Winter didn't pull you aside."

"Thanks, Yang, really being supportive there."

"I am, Blakey, in my own way. It's got nothing to do with taking sides. It's just the perspective I have." Yang told her gently.

Her Faunus ears flattened down against her head. "What do you mean?"

"I kind of get the feeling Weiss is alone around here." Yang said simply. "Winter's way older than I am, and when Summer died, I became a huge influence for Ruby. If that's the case for me, flip it around." Yang explained nodding over to the siblings. "What kind of influence did Winter have on Weiss? How much did Winter sacrifice to make sure Weiss grew up happy and healthy?"

"I….honestly didn't think about that." Blake admitted, now feeling even more guilty.

"There's a lot of things I'll never tell Ruby." Yang sighed quietly. "A lot of family related resentment, a lot of anger that I just...held back...things I wish I could have done differently. Stuff I don't regret, but, I know that I should." Yang brushed all of it off, like she was used to doing. "I've got to give Winter the benefit of the doubt. I've got to believe she took care of Weiss, and what you're seeing is just part of that history."

"That's..." Blake swallowed hard. "You're probably right…"

"I know I'm right. Family looks out for each other. I'd say, in this case, Winter did right by her kid sister." Yang said, turning her gaze to meet Blake. "Hell, I'd do the same thing. If I had no idea who you were, and walked in on you and Ruby making out, I'd kick your freaking ass. You came up here in one piece. Winter must like you, at least a little."

"I still can't believe that." Blake said. "Every time I turn around, I feel like she's watching me."

"Watching isn't a bad thing, Blakey. Let her watch, show her you've got nothing to hide. If you do that, she'll back off." Yang pointed out. "From my perspective, she's just making sure you're a good person. If that's all that Winter seems to want, let her see for herself…"

* * *

Yang had a point, and Blake could feel the truth of Yang's honesty sink into her. She wished it was easier. That she wouldn't be met with such a critical gaze every time she turned around. Then again, it was the plight of all Faunus, and like it or not, her heritage worked against her in this kingdom, and worse still, in this household.

Her palms were sweaty, and she was worried, but she downed the rest of her sparkling water. Then with a baited breath, she balanced what little confidence she had at the forefront of her mind, pushing down her negativity. Just as her emotions were starting to settle, two young men approached.

Blake didn't want to deal with either of them.

Dove Bronzewing and Russel Thrush were Cardin's lackeys. Although they weren't nearly as troublesome as their team's leader, they were hardly innocent. Yang kept her fists at her sides, but eyed the boys with no small amount of warning in her gaze. "You boys better get out of here." She said low enough not to be heard.

"Aw, come on, Yang, don't be like that." Russel said with a cocky smirk. "We're just here to escort you guys. It's an official mission, we couldn't say no."

"As if we need to be escorted by a couple of deadbeats." Yang shot back. "Ah, well, guess it can't be helped. So, which one of you two jerks do I have to deal with?"

Dove stepped forward slightly. "That would be myself." He said, offering her a small, cordial bow. "Believe it or not, I was raised a gentleman. I'll make sure you enjoy the night."

"Kind of full of yourself there, aren't you?" Yang said, feeling Blake tug on your arm.

"Yang…don't…" She looked at Russel, as if studying him. "If you're my escort, then that puts Sky in charge of Ruby. I don't exactly think that's the best plan."

"We don't have a choice in the matter, sweetheart." Russel said, though the way he addressed her was derogatory at bed. "I'm not like the rest of these people. I don't have shit to my family name. I'm the only one that can be seen with an animal around here without it screwing up my reputation."

Yang rolled her eyes, leaning in. "We're in public, so for now, I'm going to play nice. Don't make me regret that. Either way, I'm already tempted to smear you across the floor once we go back to Beacon."

"That's enough." Blake said, forcing the two to separate. "Our teams hate each other, that's fine, but if anyone screw this night up for Weiss, they'll be answering to me." Then, loathe though she was to do it, she eyed Yang with a dark expression. "That goes double for you. Please, as my friend, just…" Blake couldn't even finish that sentence. It weighed heavy on her tongue.

Thankfully, she didn't need to elaborate. Yang simply understood. "Blake, make like your girl, and chill. I've got your backs, you know it." Yang murmured gently.

"Well, there's no squirming out of this anyway for any of us." Dove explained. "Like it or not, I'm stuck with you."

"And then you're with me." Russel said to Blake. "Just do be a favor and don't slobber anywhere."

Yang turned to the boys she wanted to punch then and there. "You're right, Thrush, us simple folk don't have a say in any of this. Your actions reflect on your team though, so you think about that before you act like a jackass to my teammates." Running her hand through her blonde hair, she looked around. "Come on Dove, I need to go find your buddy, Sky, and tell him to watch his hands and mouth around my kid sister…"

Blake gazed to Russel, a murderous gleam concealed in her amber gaze. "And that means we're going too. Try to keep up."

* * *

It was no question they all hated each other, but, they would have to survive the rest of the afternoon and dinner with their shared dignity intact. It was no small feat, but, the majority of team CRDL were affluent boys too. Perhaps not as wealthy or as influential as Weiss, but certainly three of the four young men had family names to uphold. Although they didn't exhibit the chivalry one might expect of a young, well-to-do man, they were more or less polite enough to get by.

It was a façade, and all of the women on team RWBY knew it. Even so, they dearly wished that this somewhat polite behavior would persist beyond the walls of the Schnee family household. At least then, they wouldn't be total scum bags.

Yang found herself perplexed by her escort.

Dove's family were the spiritual sort, pacifists in a kingdom with a taste for war. They had sent their son to Beacon because they wanted him to avoid the military at all costs, and found Beacon's headmaster to be the least militaristic among all of the academies. Although the family focused purely on human organizations, they were more or less charitable people, and so was their son.

Yang had to admit, she was mildly impressed with Dove's own line of charity work.

Even if it excluded Faunus, he wasn't quite as selfish a man as he made himself out to be. For what little it was worth to her, here was something to be said for that. He was bright too, another selling point, although it was not nearly enough for Yang. She thought maybe she was being unreasonable, that perhaps her expectations in other people were too high. T

hen she looked over to Weiss and Blake, and shook the thought from her mind. If Weiss could change, and learn to love a Faunus because of that change, then Dove could certainly learn to see them as equals.

In fact it was the _least_ he could do, if he believed in even half of the humanitarian practices his parents spoke about.

What was even worse, was that Yang's father seemed to laugh along with these wealthy, rich, bastards. The mere thought of that set her off. Much to her dismay, dinner from her own personal hell dragged on.

"So, you don't have any hobbies or interests then?" Dove asked, trying to engage in polite conversation.

"No." Yang muttered.

"On nonsense." Taiyang said with a laugh. "She keeps things plenty interesting in her life. Both of my daughters do. Sometimes, I just wish for a little less excitement."

She blinked, her eyes turning red as she leveled her gaze at her father. It was about to get a whole lot more exciting around here if he didn't shut up. Then with a sigh, she turned back to Dove. "Okay this is stupid, these people are our parents." Yang said quietly leaning in so she didn't have to talk too loudly. "I hate you, you hate me, and I know at least twenty people sitting in this entire room knows that."

"You hate each other?" Taiyang frowned.

"Hate is such a strong word, Mr. Xiao Long. We've had our disagreements in the past, but I'd like to think we're past that now." Dove interjected. "Let's just say we share a difference of opinion."

"Is that true, Yang?" Taiyang asked.

"He might not hate me, but I do hate him. He's a bully to Faunus I go to school with." Yang said with a roll of her eyes. "He outright hates Velvet and Blake. Mess with my partner, I start swinging. Dad, you understand, right?"

He chuckled at this. "Beacon has always been known to encourage students to fight their own battles. I suppose I did swing a few times when my partner was called into question."

"Who is this 'Blake' I keep hearing of?" Dove's father voiced. "I've heard that name murmured several times over the course of this weekend. Every time, it seems to be with distain, and I must admit, I find it concerning."

"Blake Belladonna, a cat Faunus, and Yang's assigned team member." Dove explained. "I feel bad for Weiss, having an animal on her team."

The mild surprise on his father's face dissipated, and he nodded fully in understanding. "Oh, I see. Yes, that is rather unfortunate, isn't it?" The man began, eyeing Taiyang thoughtfully. "The difference of option makes perfect sense too. This girl is your daughter, after all."

Taiyang narrowed his eyes in return. "So she is, is that somehow a problem?"

"No." The man grumbled. "Not in the slightest."

From far across the table, Weiss sighed. She had caught a glimpse of Yang's ire. Her anger was obvious for anyone who knew her, and Weiss certainly knew her. She half expected flames to rise out from the blonde's head of hair, but, it seemed as though the deities were on their side. Yang's temper cooled, and her eyes turned back to lilac. Weiss sliced off another piece of her meat and delicately brought the portion to her mouth.

She had to endure conversation with the Winchester's, but thankfully, she could suffer though dinner just fine. She was used to these affairs. To make things even easier, her father was taking up the majority of the conversation. Pointing out all of the qualities that he found admirable in the young man. All of them, quite frankly, that made Weiss want to vomit when she truly thought of them.

"His grades are among the best, too." Wilson continued as he proudly considered Cardin the junior's achievements.

"Among the best indeed, but not above Ren's." Weiss said, tilting her head to the boy in question. "Furthermore, the rate of JNPR's completed missions are far above team CRDL."

"Still, his grades are among the top five."

"Father, Pyrrha and Ren sit at the top second, and third spots respectively.." Weiss said with a long sigh. "I would never argue Cardin's intellect. What I argue, is his ability in combat." The she smiled sweetly at her father. "I intend to take the company upon my own shoulders, so while I do value intelligence, I would also think my suitor should be able to stand at my side and do battle with me too, don't you think?"

"Weiss…" Wilson sighed, but then he was interrupted by his good friend.

"No, no, she's quite right." Cardin's own father replied. "It's a fact I've been trying to instill in my boy for years now. A true man of the household protects his chosen lady. You hear that, my boy, right from the words of a woman herself. You must become stronger, this is a fact."

"Yes sir." He said quietly.

"Weiss has her own faults too, of course." Wilson replied. "She should remember that."

"Ah, yes, this is true. They're still so young though, full of life, vigor, and impossible expectations." The elder Winchester replied. "Cowardice is an obstacle all men must fight against. My son still requires many more missions under his belt before I would consider him a true man of my household. Then again, he _is_ still a hunter in training, and we must not forget that."

"I don't agree with those statements. If that's all it takes to make a man, then Lie Ren would be the masculine ideal." Weiss interjected. "As far as a man of warrior blood is concerned, Ren's father was a village guard. He was going to be raised to be the same. He's more experienced in the field than all of us, and he basically raised himself, as well as a female friend of ours." Weiss replied. "They were orphans, though looking at him now, you'd never know it. Isn't that right, Ren?"

"It is." The boy nodded. "My father was the head of the village guard. However, no matter his skill with a sword or bow, he was still not powerful enough to topple a Grimm." Ren explained. "It's why I've chosen to be a hunter. I couldn't let the injustices I've witnessed in my youth continue."

"And in that, we share some common ground." Weiss replied with a nod. "I think we all agree the Grimm should be exterminated in any way possible."

Wilson blinked, taken aback by his daughter's statements. He then looked at Ren, then to Weiss, and then to Ren once more. He thoughtfully lifted his glass of wine to his lips, as if pondering some great new enlightenment. "Weiss, my dear daughter, if you were so taken with the young man, why didn't you just say so? Ah, wait, don't tell me. It's because he's a village boy, isn't it? Suddenly you bringing home that Faunus girl makes sense. The ole bait and switch, you learned that from your sister, didn't you?"

Weiss felt her head throb at the ludicrous conclusion, only to remind herself of her sister's rather rebellious past. Of course she would have used a tactic such as that to get under their father's skin. Her elder sister had a long list of insane stories, each of them more mind boggling than the last.

Anyone who knew Winter, knew not to let her militant demeanor fool them. She was very capable of starting a ruckus. In fact, although Weiss would never get her sister to admit to it, there were several times she had managed to make their father so irate, he bellowed through the halls for hours.

Choosing not to bring that up, she looked at her father with a rather dry expression. "Father, I would like to kindly remind you that the _Faunus girl_ has a name. It's Blake, and I would appreciate if you'd learn her name and apply it properly in conversation. She's my chosen lady…emphasis on lady. "

His good mood soured once more. "Indeed…" the man grumbled, more than a little deflated as he looked over to Ren again, the boy merely shrugging carelessly in his direction.


	24. Chapter 24: The Ball, Part 1

It seemed like an eternity had passed before the grandfather clock rang out, signaling that it was time for the women to take their leave and prepare one final time for the night ahead. Women young and old excused themselves to go dress into their ball gowns. For some, it would be a rather lengthy process, and a few of the men murmured as much around the table in good humor.

Team RWBY walked together to go get ready, the four of them were already mentally exhausted. Blake and Yang seemed to be holding up better than the youngest member of the group, though.

"Remind me again why rich people think this is fun?" Ruby asked sourly, dragging her feet as she walked.

"They're idiots." Weiss deadpanned under her breath.

"Come on, sis." Yang said, hanging back a little and slinging her arm around Ruby's shoulder. "Just a little while longer. Hold out until then, and when we get back to the cabin tonight I'll let you help me give Ember Celica a good clean-up. I'll need it in top condition in case I have to nail a few of jerks in the face."

Realizing that was likely not the best way to leave the sentiment, Weiss offered Ruby a smile. "A lot of these people are friends, or at the very least acquaintances. Business partners, high ranking members of Atlas elite, and those of prestige in the military tend to run in families. Atlas Academy prides itself of grabbing up young teenagers to train to become huntsmen. Moreover though, they work very closely with the actual military. In fact, as adults, many choose to enlist right out of graduation. So in short, many of the people here do, in fact find this fun."

"Good thing I chose to go to Beacon…" Yang deadpanned. "I was looking into Atlas too, but the rule in the student guide book were way too strict for me."

"Dad twisted your arm about it too." Ruby added.

"That too, not to mention, if these are the kind of people that go to Atlas Academy, then fuck em'." When the blonde passed one of the decorative hallways mirrors, Yang realized just how red her eyes were. Then she glanced around, the repressed emotion seemed to be shared by everyone. Her entire team was agitated, Ruby included. "Never mind me, I'm just in a bad mood." Yang said, one hand raising to rub the redness away as beast as she could. Not an easy feat when her temper was boiling her blood. "Why are we still kissing CDRL's ass? We should be wiping the floor with them after that dinner."

"Because my father wished it, arranged it, and in spite of knowing my intentions, desires that we do so." Weiss said, leading them to her room and ushering them inside. "It's that simple."

"Yeah, well he's being a king jack-off right now."

Weiss ignored Yang's terrible mood. Instead she took the gowns from the closets, carefully laying them down upon the bed neatly. "Loathe though I am to admit this, we shouldn't waste too much time."

"This sucks." The youngest among them pointed out, not even trying to soften her own opinion on the matter as she began shedding her clothes.

"And swallows. Here, turn around Ruby, I'll tie your corset." Yang agreed, earning a somewhat disgusted look from Weiss.

"There are not enough invectives to adequately describe this situation." Weiss protested as she tied Blake's. Her fingers moved swiftly in a way that outmatched Yang, and the blonde was an expert in the matter. "Just try to maintain your dignity you two, that's all I ask."

"Easy for you to do." Blake said, biting her lip from her girlfriend's slightly rough handling. Though, from the look of it, Yang was tying Ruby's with just as much force. Rolling her eyes she ignored the discomfort of the matter. "After this afternoon, I really don't want to wear something like this. Not after hearing Russel muttering about his erection under his breath." When the entire room looked at her she felt a blush burn her cheeks. "I have sensitive hearing!"

"That, and he's a pervert." Weiss sighed, giving Blake a long, appreciative glance once her work was complete. "We'll maim them right after we get back to Beacon, and Goodwitch can observe the match."

"Speaking of perverts, that reminds me…" Yang trailed off going off to rummage around in her purse pulling out four condoms. "Not that I want to use these at all, but, we are going to be dealing with dudes and booze. Better safe than sorry."

"Not me, I'm not drinking…" Ruby said, admittedly refusing to take one of the sealed little squares. "And I'm not doing _that_ either."

"Just take one anyway, Ruby." Yang protested, handing the girl the sealed packet anyway. "I've been looking for a good excuse to give you one, and now is the perfect time." She pressed it into her palm, and wouldn't allow her sister to give it back. "You're getting to that age, sis. No always mean no, but you need to be ready for whenever you do say yes. Just have one with you all the time." Then she pointed to the numbers across the package. "Oh, and mind the expiration date."

"This is so stupid." Ruby protested.

"As much as I hate to admit this, she's right, Ruby." Weiss sighed.

"If Cardin even thinks about it, he'll be in the medical ward as soon as we go back to Beacon." Blake growled.

"He's a trashy guy, Blake." Yang shot back. "Trust me, he's thinking about it."

"Believe it or not, women of my standing rarely carry protection of this kind. Knowing the woman has one can be quite the intimidation to a young man. Especially when we're taught to save ourselves for betrothal." Weiss sighed, unhappily plucking one of the offered prophylactics. She watched as Blake took the last one without complaint, not even batting an eye at the situation. "What not even a comment?"

"They have their uses." Blake shrugged, even if it's not for sex.

"Some quick augmentation, and you've got yourself a dental dam on the fly. Not the best idea, but good in a pinch. Better than nothing." Yang said only to earn a round of stares of her own. "What? Those stupid things are hard to find. Not condoms though, every store has those. Just saying, where's the love for the ladies?"

"Not with you, apparently…" Blake deadpanned.

"Gross!" Ruby protested. "Yang, please shut up. There are some things that I just don't want to know about my sister."

"Back to more reasonable topics at hand, our gowns are all very modest." Weiss replied. "Even if we do attract attention, I doubt it will be the lewd sort. The boys would have to be trying to look, to get a glimpse of anything."

"Yeah, except for the boob busters. Why do we have to wear these things anyway?" Yang said wincing as her sister began lacing hers together roughly, a sort of silent revenge for the disgusting information Ruby had just been listening to. "There isn't anything that'll hold mine in place, they'll be spilling out of the top. Ruby, damn it, not so tight."

"It's only that way because you never wear bras." Ruby retorted, another firm tug forcing her older sister to flinch. "They're supposed to be worn this way, and I promise you, it's not too tight."

Yang merely sent a somewhat annoyed glare over her shoulder. "Tell my tits that. The girls are getting smooshed over here."

"This is why Coco made you get something with a high neckline." Weiss shot back. As she took a breath. "It's the prudish Atlas style. Just put up with it. Blake do you know how to fasten a corset properly, or should I wait for Yang or Ruby?"

The cat Faunus sighed. She had absolutely no experience in them, and shook her head. "I've never fastened one, but, I can brush your hair out."

"That'll do." Weiss agreed. "I can step into my dress unzipped so you can get started if you'd like."

The speed at which Blake retrieved the hairbrush was almost comical, but Weiss allowed Blake the simple joy in the matter. "I'd like a loose braid if you can manage it, if not, I'll leave it down for the remainder of the night."

Blake seemed to think about this, fingers weaving into the silky strands in front of her as she gently tugged at them and gathered them together. "Well, as impractical as it is for day to day life, I think you look much more beautiful with your hair down." Then she smirked as she leaned down, to murmur into her girlfriend's ear. "Then again, the braid would show off the nape of your neck, and we discussed what that does to me."

Weiss blushed deeply at this. "Down it is…"

* * *

The Adel Shipping Company had offices scattered all across Remnant, and although it was a calculated risk, Coco had left the SDC grounds to visit one of her offices under the guise of giving a few of her friends a tour. In truth, it was hardly a social matter, or even one of business. This was something more personal. Only one friend followed her, and it was the only one she had ever intended to bring. Still, they couldn't stay away from the SDC for very long. Coco eyed the clock, trying to rush the document downloading onto her scroll.

"Did Glynda give you the information we need?" Coco asked, pulling off her shades to clean them with a microfiber cloth.

"I have it with me." Pyrrha said, still in awe of the building, and Coco's personal office. Pyrrha could tell it didn't get much use, but the deep umber and rich burgundy of the room gave it a comfortable appeal. It was unlike the offices Pyrrha had visited in the past. "I'm not sure what's on it, but Glynda assured me that you would know exactly what to do with it."

"That's right. I have operations like these down to a science. Not that it's very hard, or very risky. For people in my position, documents like these are passed around every day. This was your first time smuggling though, wasn't it?" Coco asked as she took the thin disk that Pyrrha handed her.

"It was…" Pyrrha said with a nod. "I found the entire matter very unsettling."

"Get used to it. You're a good gopher to use, Pyrrha. No one would ever think you capable of looking for this sort of trouble. Even with your affiliations, I'm sure you'd be bypassed for suspicion. Given who your father is, it's almost a guarantee." Coco said. "So, is everyone in place?"

At this, Pyrrha nodded again nervously. "Everyone within our power…"

"And those that aren't?" Coco pressed again.

"Will not be made aware of our affiliations, our cause, or what we happen to be doing." Pyrrha looked away unsure of everything she knew would come to pass, and swallowed hard. "Are we doing the right thing?"

Coco had wondered about that herself on occasion, licking her dry lips, she fought with herself over the magnitude of the event. Although nothing would be seen on the surface, waves were about to be made. "That's hard to say…" Coco murmured more to herself than the woman in front of her. "Regardless of whether or not Weiss participates in in Black Jack in the future, doesn't matter. Her father is an enemy to our cause, and he has enough power to start throwing his weight around."

"Glynda seems uncertain about if this is the right move or not. Even if we must follow through, I don't like seeing hesitation in a person of her usual convictions…"

"We're _all_ uncertain." Coco forced through her teeth. She gave Pyrrha a hard look. "Could you justify one of his temper tantrums ripping through entire kingdoms though?" Coco pressed. "What about his grip on the dust company. Dust, as in our very livelihood? Could you safely continue to do battle against Grimm without it?" Coco looked back down at the disk in her hand, before sliding it into her scroll to download the information Glynda had collected. "Corporate warfare is what we do, Pyrrha, and until Weiss gains control of the SDC, we can't take risks…"

Pyrrha sighed at this. "Our leader's gone dark, and that concerns me too."

"Considering who's involved, she doesn't have a choice." Coco replied. "Pyrrha, no one's forcing you to be part of this group, you could walk away at any time."

"Yet I would regret doing so." Pyrrha stated. "Coco, I hold no illusions to the fact that the White Fang have destroyed everything that they have tried to build. I know Faunus will never gain their rights that way."

"So what the hell's your hang-up?"

"I just wonder if what we're doing is right." Pyrrha shrugged, gaze averting to the pictures on the walls. Everything was covered in them, some were paintings, but many of them had to have come from a camera. Likely Velvet's handiwork. "Sometimes…" She trailed off, looking at one of the larger pictures. The inscription on the bottom stated it was their first year of Beacon. "Sometimes, I believe it would be better for the people to come to conclusions about reform themselves, without being pressured into it."

"The people at large aren't the problem, it's the people that hold onto that power." Coco sat down on one of the swanky leather chairs and waited, inviting Pyrrha to do the same. "I didn't bring you here simply to trade the disk. We both know there's nothing too detrimental on here that Weiss hasn't already told us." Instead she produced her own disk, this one containing very sensitive information. "I want you to slip this to Weiss."

"What's on it?"

Coco bit her lip. She wanted to tell the younger woman, but doubted it would be a good idea. Then again, if she couldn't trust Pyrrha, then she couldn't trust anyone. That was a somewhat disturbing thought. "It's a list of instructions..." Coco said, contemplating her own words as they came out of her mouth. Processing the very implication behind them. "Our leader wants to meet Weiss, face to face. In order for that to happen though, Weiss will need to pick up a few items waiting back at Beacon. The location is detailed there. At that point, it's up to Weiss."

"What about the other records you promised her?"

"It's all here, which is why I can't carry it." Coco said as she pulled it out of the computer. "If anyone found out I was passing around this kind of information to others, I'd be under fire. I would really piss off my parents too, but, that's beside the point. No one suspects you, though. No one would ever think you'd keep this kind of thing on you, you'd have no reason to. They might be private records, but, they'd hardly do you any good."

"What are they?" Pyrrha asked.

At this, Coco smirked. "A list of contracts and contact information for every slave owned, traded, or released, by Adel Shipping Company in recorded history. It dates back just as far, if not farther than SDC's own records. Plus, there's some extra collateral I promised Weiss. Now come on, we need to get back, and get dressed. We can only be late so long before people start to raise eyebrows.

* * *

The ballroom was decorated magnificently, Ruby could see the white marbled floor, royal blues, glittering silver, and brilliant gold from her place at the top of the stairs. The floral arrangements by each pillar offered a vast array of floral specimens. Some, Ruby knew, were not native to Atlas, or even to Vale. Tables were lined with elegant finger foods. Staff were dressed to impress, and the military might of the kingdom offered added security.

Just like every event hosted at the SDC, a silent auction was being held in the far corners, where the sitting rooms had been lavishly decorated to host a quitter place to enjoy the event. Both fireplaces were lit, and outdoor dining was made possible by the warmth of several brightly burning braziers. The smell of wood burning wafted faintly from the far windows.

A few of the guests were already inside the ballroom. Chatter raising just above the soft ambiance of music being played. At the foot of the steps, several young men awaited their escorts for the evening, Fox and Ren stood among the group, obviously waiting for their dates for the night. Near the front, the well-dressed young men of team CRDL looked up at them expectantly, even they had put in their best efforts.

"Let's get this over with." Weiss said, beginning down the stairs. Yang and Blake confidently flanking both sides just a step behind her. Ruby, absolutely hating her attire, stuck to the back, feeling as though she was gathering far too much attention.

"Ladies." Cardin bowed to Weiss. "You look lovely this evening." He then produced a corsage from the florist. The arrangement comprised of a few sprigs of evergreen leaves native to Atlas, and a winter snow flower in the middle. "If I may be so bold…"

Weiss inwardly cringed at this, but, it was the polite thing to do. "You may." She said in front of the many party guests. "You don't do look so bad yourself, Cardin. For a hunter at Beacon, you clean up well." She said aloud, and to this, it rang true. His black tuxedo had been finely tailored to his form, the typical black and white ensemble covering Cardin in all of the ways befitting a gentleman of his family history. If only he wasn't such an unlikeable person when left to his own devices, she might have found him to be a tolerable acquaintance.

As it was, she had to withhold herself from backhanding him as he pinned the floral arrangement to her dress.

"You do not wear such dark colors often, but the royal blue suits you." He replied as he worked.

"So you say." Weiss was unsure how to take his compliment, only distantly accepting it. A quick glance over to her teammates proved that they were undergoing the same ordeal. Sky was offering a similar flower arrangement to Ruby, but Yang nabbed him none too gently first.

"Remember," Weiss heard Yang say to Sky slowly. Her tone was more or less friendly, though there was a dark implication buried deeply beneath her smile. "I've got my eye on you." A closer glance told Weiss that Yang was likely squeezing the boy's bicep with more force than she probably needed to get her point across.

"Shall we?" And just like that, her attention was dragged back to the gentleman in front of her. Cardin presented his arm, offering for her to take it. It was a simple gesture, but it was something well to do parents instilled in all boys as a means to teach them to become proper men. It seemed as though not all of his father's careful tutelage had been lost on him.

"We shall." So, as the heiress she was, she took his arm as he wanted, and the two of them made for the ballroom. "I hope you're ready, Cardin. Since this ball is hosted by my family, I have quite a bit of entertaining to do. This won't be like the dances back at Beacon, or even the formal parties held at your father's estate. As my escort, you'll have to project your position, and be ready for the scrutiny that comes from being the person at my side."

His smile was far too confidant for her liking. She could see the glint in his eyes, and that made her sick.

"I think I'll be fine." He said.

"I wouldn't be so sure. It's no easy thing." Weiss warned him as they reached the door. "All of those people in there tonight will be looking at you. You'll be the envy of several young heirs who'll want nothing more than to see your reputation ruined. The parents of those boys will look at you and wonder why my father's so interested in your family line. I hope you can handle the immense pressure handed down to you, it won't be an easy burden. I speak from experience."

"And so do I." Cardin said, his lip still quirked in a roughish manner. Cocky, and belligerent. "I've been groomed for this my whole life."

"Please don't smirk like that." Weiss chastised. "When Yang does that, it's harmless and endearing. When you do it, it seems as though you have an agenda."

"Oh, but I do." Cardin said easily. "I'm going to make this your night, Weiss. You'll see the kind of man I am, and I promise, you'll never go back to anything else."

* * *

Blake bit the inside of her cheek. Weiss looked as annoyed and Blake knew she personally felt, but there was nothing to be done about the matter. She was about to move to action when she saw Ren ask Weiss to dance, it was her sixth one of the evening, and finally, he had moved to sweep her up from the likes of Cardin, who had been far too friendly with her girlfriend, in Blake's personal opinion.

Cardin danced with Pyrrha, and Blake hoped that at least for a short time, Weiss would be free from the man's clutches.

"So, wanna dance?"

"No."

"Thirsty?"

"Not right now."

"There's a buffet table over-"

"I'm not hungry."

"How about we-"

"Russel, shut up." Blake snarled lowly in her throat.

Russel sighed as he scratched the back of his head. He had been having no luck entertaining Blake. "Well, then, what do you want to do?"

"I would like to stay here, and keep an eye on my teammates." Blake told him unhappily. "I agreed to come to this ball with you, we're here now, and I've done exactly what was asked of me. Now, I'm doing what I do best. Standing in the corner, and keeping away from the crowd."

"Not much of a social butterfly, gotcha." He huffed, hands crammed into his pockets. "Fun night..."

"You noticed..." Blake told him with a glare, her eyes drifting back to Weiss, and then to Ruby. She spared only a passing thought for Yang, knowing the blonde could easily handle herself against the likes of Dove.

"Look I hate these hoity-toity gatherings as much as you do." Russel spoke again. "But since we have to be here, and kiss ass all night, we might as well try to pass the time. It's got to be better than being over here in the corner."

"There is no possible way that's true." Blake said, crossing her arms and looking at him. "I'm not welcome at all out there, but you? You're different. You're human, male, and you've got that 'bad boy' swagger that a lot of girls in our age range like. You're training to become a hunter, too, and that's something well respected in Atlas from what I can figure out." She smirked darkly at him then. "Don't you get it? You fit right in here, you're not like me."

"My mom waits on tables, and my dad drives a garbage truck." He muttered only loud enough for Blake to hear. His pinky finger digging into his ear to scratch an itch. "I grew up on the south side of the Vale, by the docks. Nothing but flea-bitten animals live there, or the people who can't affirmed to live in the nice parts of town. It's not the kind of thing you can talk about. Not around these kinds of people."

"That's a Faunus district, but, not a good kind of Faunus district." Blake said, eyeing him out of the corner of her eye. More importantly, though she would never say it out loud, it was covered in the unsavory sort of White Fang activists that she needed to stop. "That area is covered in poverty."

"Well it's all we had, so it's all I know. Animals, all of em'. Nothing but street fights, and people complaining about who laid hands on whose girl." He said with a shrug. "I bet you'd know all about that, though, wouldn't you?"

"For the record, Faunus aren't actually animals, and we don't like being treated like one."

At this, he laughed. "I call it like I see it." Russel shot back uncaringly. "Ever wonder what it feels like to get picked on as a kid? When the bullies have claws and sharp teeth. you can't fight back. It sucks."

"Serves you right for living in the slums." Blake shot back. "You could have gotten out of there, maybe your family should have. The southwest quadrant of Vale's city has affordable housing that's in a better area. Patch and the area around Signal academy too, all of it is much more family oriented."

"Bullcrap."

"It's true." Blake protested. "The Faunus there aren't like the ones in downtown Vale. I'm not like that, Velvet's not either. It doesn't matter though. We still get looked down on by humans like you."

"Couldn't afford to move." Russel he said offhandedly, almost as if he didn't particularly care one way or the other. "Not if I wanted to get into a good school. Considering I was an accident made on a night my old man was drunk, I'd say things evened out just fine. We got by, I didn't starve. They got me into Beacon, can't complain. Then again, fighting is about all I can do."

"It sounds like you got complacent to me."

"Oh yeah, that really what you think?" Russel asked as he stared her down. "Let me give you a piece of advice. Being happy with what you got is way better than bitching and moaning about what you can't have. Maybe if you Faunus learned that, you wouldn't have sticks up your asses the whole time."

Blake said nothing at first as she wondered where such advice came from.

Finally, after a long while, she nodded. "You're right, there might be some merit in that way of thinking. There are certainly limits. The reality is, it's just not enough. Thinking that way as a hunter, you won't last a day out of Beacon. You'll be sullying your own hands for a cause, and eventually, you'll get invested. You have to hope that what you do is good enough, but, there will come a time that you know that it isn't…and then you'll understand."

"Geeze, moody much?"

"The world is full of monsters. Humans, Faunus, and Grimm." Blake replied quietly. "Learn to survive, or end up in a body bag. Those are your options. As for me? I'll always choose survival. If that's the case, call me greedy, but I want more in my life. I think every Faunus does, even the ones that don't say anything about it."


End file.
